Trenches World War I

The Netherlands was neutral in World War I. The Germans were afraid of an attack through Dutch territory in 1916. Therefore, they established a defensive line of trenches and bunkers on the ridge between Elten and Beek. During the border correction in 1963, the forest plot with the remnants of the trenches and bunkers ended up on the Dutch side of the border. In 1921, the bunkers were destroyed under the supervision of French troops. At the end of 2013, a section of a trench was restored to its original state. This part of the trench has also been made accessible to visitors. The trenches were about two meters deep and were constructed in a zigzag pattern. This way, if a shell exploded, it could cause less damage.

Jos van Nistelrooy