Mads Leuverink

De Dragers van Fliegerhorst Deelen

The landmarks of Fliegerhorst Deelen

I have been living in Arnhem for around ten years now. The city suffered greatly during the Second World War. From an early age, I have had a deep interest in this history. I often went exploring in areas marked by the past and read many books about the war.

One lesser-known site is Fliegerhorst Deelen. I discovered this area in 2016 and spent a great deal of time walking through it, fascinated by its mysterious and secretive atmosphere. That sense of intrigue has never left me – as you walk through the landscape, you're struck by a sense of not fully understanding what you’re seeing. It turns out to be a network of bunkers and hangars, cleverly disguised as farm buildings. These are remnants of what was once the largest air base constructed by Nazi Germany outside of Germany during the war. The creation of this base left a lasting impact on the landscape in various ways. Over the years, the area has changed significantly and is now highly fragmented: some parts are off-limits, some are privately owned, and others are public, whereas it used to be one large, unified site.

Fortunately, there are still public areas where elements of the wartime air base system from 1940 to 1944 remain visible. I aim to restore these and use the structure of the base as a means of telling its story. My vision for the area is to make it accessible to the public, so that people can discover this place and its layered history – and in doing so, help preserve it. As the number of people with personal memories of the Second World War continues to decline, and as the war fades further into the past, I want to create a lasting memorial at this site. My hope is that it will not only endure physically into the future, but also serve as a meaningful reminder of the war.

As a landscape architect, my aim is not only to tell this story through design interventions, but also to strengthen the natural qualities of the area.

Graduation date: 2 July 2025
Graduation committee: Kim Kool (mentor), Hanneke Klijne, Lara Voerman 
Additional members for the exam: David Kloet, Roel Wolters