Airborne Museum (Oosterbeek)
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The Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ in
Oosterbeek Oosterbeek is a village in the eastern part of Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Renkum in the province of Gelderland, about west of Arnhem. The oldest part of Oosterbeek is the Benedendorp (Lower Village), on the northern bank o ...
,
The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
is dedicated to the
Battle of Arnhem The Battle of Arnhem was a battle of the Second World War at the vanguard of the Allied Operation Market Garden. It was fought in and around the Dutch city of Arnhem, the town of Oosterbeek, the villages Wolfheze and Driel and the vicinity fro ...
in which the Allied Forces attempted to form a bridgehead on the northern banks of the Rhine river in September 1944. Hartenstein served as the headquarters of the British 1st Airborne Division. In the museum an extensive and diverse collection is displayed consisting of original weaponry, genuine uniforms and equipment used in the battle. The numerous photos and films on display provide a realistic picture which is enhanced by interviews with Allied soldiers. In addition the museum has an award-winning Airborne Experience exhibition, that depicts the area around Arnhem and Oosterbeek during the battle. The museum also provides German and civilian perspectives.


History of the Hotel Hartenstein

Historical records from 1728 indicate that an inn called ‘Het Rode Hert’ (‘The Red Deer’) stood at the important crossroad of the 'Utrechtseweg' in Oosterbeek. In 1779 the inn and the surrounding land was acquired by a wealthy attorney to the Court of Gelderland named J. van der Sluys. The inn was demolished and in its place a mansion was constructed complete with adjacent annexes. The new mansion was named ‘Hartenstein’. After the death of Van der Sluys, ‘Hartenstein’ was passed along to a variety of owners. In 1865 the present building appeared on the site and a coach house was built next to it (now the site of restaurant ‘Hartenstein@Laurie'). In 1905 the villa was extended with two conservatories. Finally, in 1942, the Municipality of
Renkum Renkum () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in and has a land area of . Renkum is situated along the river Rhine. The municipality Renkum is part of the ''Stadsregio'' (English: City reg ...
became Hartenstein's new owner and transformed it into a hotel.


Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem

After the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Allied troops made a quick advance towards Germany. The supply troops could not keep up with the troops on the front line causing the advance to a halt. A new frontline was formed in Belgium and France. To avoid the
Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall'', was a German defensive line built during the 1930s (started 1936) opposite the French Maginot Line. It stretched more than ; from Kleve on the border with the Netherlands, along the west ...
, Field Marshal
Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...
planned an operation in which Allied forces would occupy several bridges in the Netherlands between Eindhoven and Arnhem. If this mission succeeded, the road to Germany would be open.
Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
started on September 17th 1944 and ended in the morning of September 26th. In the end, Operation Market Garden failed due to a combination of factors: a lack of airlift to transport the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Brigade on the first day, poorly chosen drop and landing zones for the troops that were too far from the Arnhem bridge over the Rhine, an unrealistic timetable for their relief by XXX Corps, and above all, intense German opposition by the disregarded presence of SS armoured forces in the Arnhem area. In the area around Arnhem more than ten thousand men of the
British 1st Airborne Division The 1st Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was formed in late 1941 during the Second World War, after the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, demanded an airb ...
and the
Glider Pilot Regiment The Glider Pilot Regiment was a British airborne forces unit of the Second World War, which was responsible for crewing the British Army's military gliders and saw action in the European theatre in support of Allied airborne operations. Establish ...
landed north of the Lower Rhine, whilst the
Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade The 1st (Polish) Independent Parachute Brigade was a parachute infantry brigade of the Polish Armed Forces in the West under the command of Major General Stanisław Sosabowski, created in September 1941 during the Second World War and based in S ...
landed on its southern banks in order to capture the Arnhem Road Bridge. Over 700 men under the command of
John Dutton Frost Major-General John Dutton Frost, (31 December 1912 – 21 May 1993) was an airborne officer of the British Army best known for being the leader of the small group of British airborne troops that actually arrived at Arnhem bridge during the Ba ...
did manage to reach the bridge and held its northern ramp for 4 days, but the bulk of the British forces were engaged by superior German forces (including the
II SS Panzer Corps The II SS Panzer Corps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on both the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern and Western Front (World War II), Western Fronts during World War II. It was commanded by Paul Hausser during the Thir ...
) and became trapped in Oosterbeek. Major General
Roy Urquhart Major General Robert Elliot "Roy" Urquhart, (28 November 1901 – 13 December 1988) was a British Army officer who saw service during the Second World War and Malayan Emergency. He became prominent for his role as General Officer Commanding th ...
chose ‘Hartenstein’ as his headquarters. After holding out north of the Rhine for nine days, the division had to be withdrawn, although just over 2,000 of the 10,000 men who had landed reached the Poles south of the river. The Allied troops lost the Battle of Arnhem and ‘Hartenstein’ was left in a heavily damaged condition.


The museum

Shortly after the Second World War, plans were made to open a museum to commemorate the battle. In 1949
Doorwerth Castle Doorwerth Castle ( nl, Kasteel Doorwerth) is a medieval castle situated on the river Rhine near the city of Arnhem, Netherlands. History The original castle, probably wooden, is first mentioned in 1260 when it was besieged and burned to the gr ...
near the Rhine was chosen as the museum's site. Soon it became evident that Doorwerth could not accommodate the display of the growing collection and a better location was sought. Hotel ‘Hartenstein’, which functioned again as a hotel after the war, was chosen as the ideal place for a museum and was purchased. On 11 May 1978, Major General Roy Urquhart officially opened the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’. In 2008, the museum temporarily closed for an extensive renovation and expansion: a brand new lobby and basement were added to the building. The basement is used to display the new 'Airborne Experience', a series of dioramas of the battle. The display was awarded the Gouden Reiger (“The Golden Heron”) a Dutch award for audience interaction in the category "three-dimensional media interaction" In September 2009, on the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem, the museum was reopened. Each year the Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ is involved in events commemorating the Battle of Arnhem. It also serves as a gathering place for veterans, civilians and young people. The museum is close to the
Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery The Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, more commonly known as the Airborne Cemetery, is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Oosterbeek, near Arnhem, the Netherlands. It was established in 1945 and is home to 1764 graves from the Secon ...
where several hundred of the Allied casualties are buried. Every year the participants of the Airborne March pay a special tribute when the parade is held in front of the museum.


References


Bibliography

*
airbornemuseum.nl

mooigelderland.nl
* Ed. Mayer, S.L., ''Encyclopedia of World War II'' (Feltham 1977) * Ryan, C., ''A Bridge too Far''(Bussum 1974) * Leloux, H.J., en Duyts, W.J.M., ''In Heerlijckheit en Hoofdkwartier 1949-1989'' (Renkum 1989) * Archive of Gelderland


External links

* {{Official website, https://www.airbornemuseum.nl/en/home
Airborne Cemetery Oosterbeek

Airborne March

Airborne Commemorations
Museums established in 1949 World War II museums in the Netherlands Netherlands in World War II Museums in Gelderland Operation Market Garden 1949 establishments in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in Renkum History of Renkum