Soesterberg: From Military Airbase to National Museum
For nearly a century, Vliegbasis Soesterberg was the oldest military airfield in the Netherlands, operational from 1911 until its closure in 2008. The Nationaal Militair Museum now occupies part of the former base, displaying aircraft, tanks, and naval vessels in a building designed by Claus en Kaan Architecten. About 7,535 people live in Soesterberg, within the gemeente Soest, on the wooded Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
The surrounding forest and heathland are part of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug national park. The Pyramide van Austerlitz, a pyramid-shaped earthwork built by Napoleonic soldiers in 1804, stands nearby. Soest is about 4 kilometres north, Amersfoort roughly 10 kilometres northeast, and Utrecht about 15 kilometres southwest. The former runway and military buildings are gradually being converted to civilian use, including housing and nature restoration.
American and Dutch fighter squadrons were based here during the Cold War. The sound of jet engines was a daily reality for decades. Since the base closed, the return of silence has been as notable as the new nature reclaiming the concrete.
Show more
For nearly a century, Vliegbasis Soesterberg was the oldest military airfield in the Netherlands, operational from 1911 until its closure in 2008. The Nationaal Militair Museum now occupies part of the former base, displaying aircraft, tanks, and naval vessels in a building designed by Claus en Kaan Architecten. About 7,535 people live in Soesterberg, within the gemeente Soest, on the wooded Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
The surrounding forest and heathland are part of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug national park. The Pyramide van Austerlitz, a pyramid-shaped earthwork built by Napoleonic soldiers in 1804, stands nearby. Soest is about 4 kilometres north, Amersfoort roughly 10 kilometres northeast, and Utrecht about 15 kilometres southwest. The former runway and military buildings are gradually being converted to civilian use, including housing and nature restoration.
American and Dutch fighter squadrons were based here during the Cold War. The sound of jet engines was a daily reality for decades. Since the base closed, the return of silence has been as notable as the new nature reclaiming the concrete.
Country selected
Region selected
City selected
