Monument van Puin (“Monument of Rubble”)

This rubble originated partly from buildings that were demolished by the German occupiers to make way for the Atlantic Wall. After the North Sea Flood of 1953, the dunes were elevated further with building and demolition waste and incineration ash from The Hague. From 1968, the former rubbish dump was covered with a thick layer of soil and planted with trees and shrubs.

Donald Duk’s large ball of rubble symbolises the buildings that disappeared during construction of the Atlantic Wall. The ‘Monument of Rubble’, which was unveiled in 1976, originally comprised more than just the ball. It consisted of a track of stones, wood, reeds and other demolition rubble that ran from the top of the hill to the ball, so that it looked as if it had rolled down the hill.