Honouring Dutch war victims

Loenen Memorial Cemetery, the final resting place of nearly 4,000 Dutch soldiers and civilians, is set to receive an extension designed by Karres en Brands.

One and a half 1.5-kilometres of winding paths link eight burial chambers- clearings in the dense forest offering space for new war graves. The 16.8-hectare site also features a memorial and education centre.

Loenen Memorial Cemetery is the final resting place of nearly 4,000 Dutch soldiers and civilians.

Set in a nature reserve on the Veluwe, the original Loenen Cemetery was built in 1949 for the Dutch War Graves Foundation, and all Dutch nationals deemed to be war victims have the right to be buried there.

Designed by Haspels, it features a small wooden chapel in front of a star-shaped open space with a cross at its centre, as well as open spaces set in the forest.

Karres en Brands produced a winning design for the new cemetery.

To accomodate future ‘residents’, the foundation has bought land adjacent to the existing cemetery, a triangular section that must accomodate 5,000 graves.

Karres en Brands produced a winning design for the new cemetery with a masterplan intended to be developed over time. Phase one was completed in 2017 and phase two is due to be finished soon.

The Karres en Brands masterplan is intended to be developed over time.

A long footpath connects the main routes of the original cemetery to the new second entrance along Groenendaalseweg. Elliptical open spaces sit along the path, each separate, park-like burial chambers with their own character.

Covered in low, natural vegetation such as blueberry, lingonberry, juneberry and birches, visitors can wander around these spaces but must always return to the main path.

The new triangular section has to accomodate 5,000 graves.

This autonomous walking route is a winding line cut into the forest with heather vegetation, running from the main entrance through the trees to the current cemetery.

While the extension is a self-contained designed, it reflects characteristics of the current cemetery, such as its built elements contrasting with the forest, open and closed and light and dark contrasts, the use of white, and simple, modest interiors.

The original Loenen Cemetery was built in 1949 for the Dutch War Graves Foundation.