(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). It is politically significant, however, because is the only part of the Netherlands that was both annexed from Germany and retained after World War II.

Location

The hill is located on a moraine east of

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

, 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, 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 and The Netherlands.

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 The 508th Infantry Regiment (508th PIR, 508th AIR, or 508th IR) ("Red Devils" or "Fury from the Sky") is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, first formed in October 1942 during World War II. The 508th is a parent regiment u ...

fought to capture the Duivelsberg, "Hill 75.9", during

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 ...

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

-born politician Marinus van der Goes van Naters, who also lived in nearby

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