(german: Wylerberg or , which literally translates to 'the devil's mountain') is a hill and nature reserve in the municipality of in the Dutch province of Gelderland, near the border with Germany (

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

). It is politically significant, however, because is the only part of 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 ...

that was both annexed from Germany and retained after World War II.

Location

The hill is located on a moraine east of Nijmegen, between Berg en Dal,

Beek Beek (; li, Baek ) is a town and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, in the province of Limburg. As of 2012, Beek has a population of about 16,400, of which about 8,800 live in the town of Beek. The municipality of Beek makes part o ...

and the Dutch-German border. The nature reserve covers about and is predominantly covered with deciduous trees, especially chestnut. It is managed by the

Staatsbosbeheer Staatsbosbeheer, founded in 1899, is a Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves. Staatsbosbeheer currently oversees over 250,000 hectares of land in the Netherlands. Usually this land is open to the public ...

, the Dutch Forestry Commission.

History

Over the centuries the hill has been militarily significant, this historical background in more recent times having given rise to issues of sovereignty between

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

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 ...

Military history from the Middle Ages until World War Two

In the Middle Ages Mergelp castle stood on the hill. In September 1944 airborne troops of the U.S. 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment fought to capture the Duivelsberg, "Hill 75.9", during Operation Market Garden.

Annexation issues

Until 1949, the hill was part of the nearby German village of Wyler in the municipality of Kranenburg. Duivelsberg's German name, Wylerberg, is derived from the name of this village. With the notable support of Dutch politician Frits Bakker Schut, Duivelsberg was one of the many small areas the Netherlands annexed from Germany on 23 April 1949. Unlike the other areas, Duivelsberg was not returned to the German authorities on 1 August 1963 and remained Dutch territory. The Nijmegen-born politician

Marinus van der Goes van Naters Marinus van der Goes van Naters (21 December 1900 – 12 February 2005) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and later the Labour Party (PvdA) and lawyer. Background and early career He was born in Ni ...

, who also lived in nearby Nijmegen during the negotiations with Germany, successfully urged that the nature reserve be kept Dutch.

Ownership and conservation

The Duivelsberg was inherited in 1906 by Marie Schuster-Hiby who, between 1921 and 1924, built an expressionist villa designed by the German architect

Otto Bartning Otto Bartning (12 April 1883 in Karlsruhe – 20 February 1959 in Darmstadt) was a Modernist German architect, architectural theorist and teacher. In his early career he developed plans with Walter Gropius for the establishment of the Bauhaus. H ...

. In 1965 the Schuster-Hiby family sold the villa to the Dutch State. Since 1985 the Huis Wylerberg has been a nationally protected building in which conservation organizations are located.
De Duivelsberg als grensgeval. GSRO Haus wylerberg.JPG, Huis Wylerberg Beek-Ubbergen-Duivelsberg (2).JPG, Castle Hill Beek-Ubbergen-Duivelsberg (4).JPG, View from the hilltop with Germany in background

References