The P casemate in Dordrecht will be open to the public for the first time this year. Its management recently became responsible of Bunkerbehoud Dordrecht (Bunker Conservation Dordrecht) and is currently being renovated and refurbished.
A casemate is a Dutch bunker. This one was built in 1940, just before the start of the war. A P casemate was often built to use as a shelter against artillery shelling.
The group shelters are built according to a standardised design and have a square footprint of 7.20 x 5.70 metres and are 4.64 metres high. Access is via the rear. The connecting corridor leads to a standby room for 13 soldiers. There is also an embrasure, which overlooks the entrance to the casemate. The walls are 1.20 metres thick and the roof an astonishing 2.15 metres thick. Tubes have been placed in the concrete for ventilation purposes. A telephone connection and a periscope aperture are also present, only the periscope itself was never installed.
