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Photo exposition Schot in de Roos

Hembrug into view as the heart of the defense line of Amsterdam.

Making a clandestine relationship visible

To visualise the relationship between HEMbrug and the Defense Line of Amsterdam, photos taken by the photographers Gé Dubbelman, Luuk Kramer and Nicole Segers are being shown against the background of the industrial monuments at HEMbrug. The photos are displayed on the facades of buildings and on installations in the public space.
An exhibition route has been created that leads along the Defense Line of Amsterdam, the buildings of the former Artillery Institutions and the General Defense Park. The route starts at the quay of the ferry that connects Amsterdam with Zaandam and meanders across the terrain to the new entrance at the provincial road and back.

HEMbrug kaart infoborden

Along the exhibition route

Follow the markings on the ground.

  • Hidden letters can be found in the markings on the ground.
  • Together, these letters form a word.
  • Follow the exhibition route, collect the letters and find the right word.
  • Find, search or ask for the meaning of this word.
  • Send the solution in via: info@stellingvanamsterdam.nl
Schot in de roos foto's

Photography

NICOLE SEGERS
Nicole Segers captures the Defense Line of Amsterdam from a perspective of wellbeing and security. This theme is in line with her previous projects beyond the borders of Europe. Segers alludes to the world around the Defense Line, a world that partially never existed and is partially historical. She sees the Defense Line as a refuge in concrete, steel and grass. It recalls the presence of an enemy standing at the gates of the city. www.nicolesegers.com

GÉ DUBBELMAN
Since the industrial activities of Eurometaal ended in 2003, photographer Gé Dubbelman has regularly visited the HEMbrug terrain to capture the beauty and tragedy of the decline, the traces of meanwhile defunct tradition; all this silently embraced by nature. With his camera he follows the demise of the industrial complex for many years until the decline hits rock bottom. Now, 13 years later, HEMbrug is developing rapidly and the full return of industry is only a matter of time. The buildings have a new purpose, they are home to numerous creative activities, but Gé Dubbelman’s monumental photographs are a lasting reminder of the origins of the buildings. www.gedubbelman.nl

LUUK KRAMER
Landscape and architectural photographer Luuk Kramer documents the landscape of the Defense Line of Amsterdam where a threat is posed to an enemy that never arrived. He focuses on the cultivated natural landscape. The wall of forts, dikes and sluices embedded in the landscape, discreetly tucked away, but in sight, clearly show they are not to be trifled with.www.luukkramer.nl

General information

HEMbrug heart of the Defense Line of Amsterdam
HEMbrug is closely linked to the history of the Defense Line of Amsterdam. The development of the industrial complex on the terrain would be inconceivable without the existence of the Defense Line. On site there were the General Defense Park of the Defense Line and the Artillery Institutions. The General Defense Park stored supplies and the Artillery Institutions delivered weapons and ammunition for the Defense Line. One can rightfully say that HEMbrug was the heart of the Defense Line of Amsterdam.

The Defense Line of Amsterdam

The Defense Line of Amsterdam is a defense system which, between 1880 and 1914, was built in a circle around the capital at a distance of 15 to 20 kilometers. The line consists of dikes, sluices, intakes, 42 fortresses and several batteries. It is not only a defense line but also functions as a waterline. It kept the enemy at a distance by flooding the forecourt, a process called inundation. The Defense Line of Amsterdam was the last refuge for the government and the army in wartime.

Hembrug Museum

The Hembrug Museum is a place where past, present and future coherently come together at Hembrug. The Hembrug Museum tells the story of how it all began, how it ended, continued and moves on. The museum guides, former employees of the ammunition and weapon factory at HEMbrug, follow the exhibition route 'Schot in de Roos' as part of their regular terrain walks and tell the stories behind the photos, what happened in the buildings on the site, how they experienced working in the factory and the function of the plant within the Defense Line of Amsterdam. The Hembrug Museum also offers photo-expeditions to the public. An opportunity for photographers to explore the terrain and the monumental buildings at HEMbrug www.hembrugmuseum.nl

Plan your trip to Hembrug

By car:
Hembrug offers free parking.
Ring A10, direction Zaanstad
Take the exit Oostzaan - Zaandam-Zuid - Twiske
Turn right onto N516 / Kolkweg direction Kolkweg North – Zaandam - Zuid
After 3 kilometers (after the Den Uyl bridge), turn left at the traffic lights towards Hempont
At the roundabout turn left onto the Hembrug terrain.

By boat directly from Amsterdam Central Station and Zaandam City:
Departure times. 

By bike:
HEMbrug is easy to reach by bike from Amsterdam and its surroundings
Plan bike trip.

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Passable part of an inundation in the form of elevated terrain, a road, (railway) embankment or waterway.

Collective term for projectile weapons.

Also called bulwark. An outward-projecting pentagonal structure, suitable for delivering flanking fire.

A storage site for military equipment. The parks in the Defence Line are spread out over sectors (sector parks) and groups (group parks).

A battery that is positioned behind armour plates.

A fort with one or more armoured artillery positions.

A number of artillery pieces combined into one group.

Shielded position from which defenders can harass the enemy.

A (low) defensive structure that extends into the moat and can be used to give flanking fire.

A space that is protected against enemy fire and is outfitted with a gun port, behind which a piece of artillery is placed.

An army division whose tasks include, amongst other things, the construction of temporary and permanent defensive structures. The term ‘engineer’ is derived from the French word ‘ingenieur’.

Also called covert way. A pathway that is protected from enemy fire by an earthen wall and can be used for transporting soldiers and military equipment.

Also called stop-log sluice. A temporary dam that stops the inundation water when beams are stacked up in its recesses.

Water purification system that improves the quality of drinking water by extracting iron.

Earthen elevation surrounding a defensive structure, featuring a breastwork.

A (wooden) shed where artillery and military engineering equipment were stored.

The part of a terrain that can be fired at.

Long-range flanking fire: fire support for the secondary forts. Short-range flanking fire: fire that covers the surroundings of the defensive structure itself.

Known in Dutch as ‘Vestingwet’. The act of the 18th of April 1874 that stipulated which forts would become part of the Dutch national defence system.

The side of a defensive structure that is facing away from the enemy.

In the Defence Line forts this is a casemate giving short-range and long-range flanking fire.

Undercarriage for a cannon or other heavy firearm.

Shell that is filled with highly explosive material.

The flooding of land to keep the enemy at bay.

Also called inlet sluice. A sluice that is constructed with the aim of letting water into a certain area.

An independent system of connected defensive structures.

Artillery that gives frontal fire over large distances, directly aimed at enemy positions.

A simple (temporary) defensive structure manned by a small number of soldiers.

An underground connecting passageway that is shellproof.

Known in Dutch as ‘Kringenwet’. Act of January 1853 that stipulates restrictions with regard to the construction of buildings in the vicinity of defensive structures, the so-called forbidden zones (‘kringen’), in order to guarantee a free field of fire.

A chart that is installed next to the gun port to give the operators of the artillery insight into the distances of targets and the corresponding firing angles.

A place of last refuge for the defenders of a fort, which can be defended independently.

A turret that is lifted up to give fire and is retracted and thus made almost invisible once the firing has stopped.

Position that provides shelter to retreating troops.

Battery that is situated in close proximity to a fort and performs some of the tasks that have been assigned to that fort.

The ability of a building to withstand gunfire thanks to brickwork, concrete or a bottom layer.

A shellproof depot for storing artillery and other essential military equipment.

A fort’s courtyard.

Ground-plan.

A turnable armoured artillery position.