Bombshelter Hooge Zwaluwe

Air-raid shelter

Towards the end of World War II, a number of residents of Hooge Zwaluwe, including the Merkx, van Groezen and Weeland families, found a safe hiding place in a very old hill that ran under Havenstraat. It is a brick vault and its function in earlier times was to drain the polder water to the outside water. The heul had been out of use for years and is (still) located next to the house of the Boone family. The number of people who were forced to stay there due to the threat of war was about 20, including a number of children (11), ranging in age from 3 years to 14 years. In the colony it was not possible to stand up, people had to spend the time lying down. To alleviate this inconvenience, a good layer of sprinkle was spread on the ground. They stayed there day and night for a number of days. All necessities, such as sleeping, eating, going to the toilet, etc., had to take place in this limited space. The "meals" were provided from the adjacent basement, currently inhabited by the Nelemans / Boone family. On the Zwaluwse Liberation Day (November 5, 1944) the colony could be safely left, but the days after it often had to be sheltered from the German shelling from above the rivers.

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