air watchtower Oude Wetering

The Oude Wetering air watch tower (5D1) differs from most other air watch towers because it is not built of concrete comb elements.
It is an ornate slender red brick tower in the style of the Delft School.
The construction of the air watch tower has been somewhat delayed.
The initial building application for a standard comb tower did not go down well with the municipality at the time. Finally, the current brick tower was built in 1958.
On top of the tower is the viewing platform, which consists of an open space of 3 by 3 meters with a 1.5 meter high parapet. On the parapet are painted wind directions as an aid to orientation.
On the north side of the viewing platform is an indoor shelter.
The tower formed a triangle (circle) with the air guard posts in Woerdense Verlaat (now gone) and Alphen aan den Rijn.
The observers reported to the air guard centre in Rotterdam.
The tower was used until 1964, the year in which the Korps Luchtwachtdienst in the south and central Netherlands was disbanded. After that, the tower was used for a while as a training tower by the BB (Protection of the Population). Originally the tower stood on the edge of the Braassemermeer, in 1969 an apartment complex was built between them.
Today, the tower is used as the administrator's office of this complex.

routeburo