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Soesterberg is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Soest, and lies about 5 km northeast of
Zeist Zeist () is the capital and largest town of the municipality of Zeist. The town is located in the Utrecht province of the Netherlands, east of the city of Utrecht. History The town of "Seist" was first mentioned in a charter in the year ...
, on the road between
Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the secon ...
and Utrecht. It was the location of Soesterberg Air Base


History

The town was first mentioned in 1840 as Berg, meaning hill belonging to Soest. In 1840, it was home to 253 people. The military airbase and the tram line
Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the secon ...
Zeist Zeist () is the capital and largest town of the municipality of Zeist. The town is located in the Utrecht province of the Netherlands, east of the city of Utrecht. History The town of "Seist" was first mentioned in a charter in the year ...
caused a rapid growth of the village in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1939, a monastery was established by the
Society of the Divine Word The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Ri ...
. In 1940, an officer's casino was built for the German Luftwaffe. It is one of the few remaining buildings in Nazi architectural style in the Netherlands, and has thick walls. It was captured intact by the Canadians in 1945, and was used by the
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
and Ministry of Defence. It has been converted into an apartment building. In 1837, a Catholic church was built which was replaced between 1952 and 1953 by the Carolus Borromeus Church.


Soesterberg Air Base

In 1910, the heathland north of the village was used as an airfield. The Dutch Airforce (then called
LuchtVaartafdeling , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...
or LVa, literally airdriving department) was established here in 1913. From 1954 to 1994, Soesterberg Air Base became a NATO base for the United States Air Force 32nd FS (originally 512th FDS later it became 32nd FD, 32nd FIS, and 32nd TFS), and the village of Soesterberg housed a number of American families. The 32nd is the only US military unit that has been under direct operational control of a foreign nation (operational control fell to the Dutch military). It was the home of the Dutch army helicopter force until the base's closure in 2010 due to the reduction of the Dutch military establishment. It is now the location of the
Nationaal Militair Museum The Nationaal Militair Museum (NMM) is a military museum in Soesterberg, Netherlands. It focuses on the history of the Dutch Armed Forces with emphasis on the Royal Netherlands Army and the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The Stichting Koninklijke De ...
, which opened in 2014. Nearby is the site of the Lockerbie trial of Libyan agents who blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988.


Gallery

File:Soesterberg Oude Postkantoor Koppenlaan 17-17a.JPG, Former post office File:Overzicht - Soesterberg - 20536011 - RCE.jpg, Colony house De Stompert File:Overzicht van het wooncenter Soesterberg gelegen aan het kruispunt Amersfoortsestraat en de Richelleweg - Soesterberg - 20535965 - RCE.jpg, Shopping centre File:Parochie Carolus Borromeus Soesterberg.jpg, Carolus Borromeus Church


See also

* Scouting in Soesterberg


References

{{Authority control Populated places in Utrecht (province) Soest, Netherlands