Anyone who knows the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden and the image of its own military conveyed there will rub their eyes in amazement on visiting its Dutch counterpart in Soesterberg. Not only did the Netherlands refrain from violating a historic building with the help of obscure "star architects" and instead put an attractive new building on a greenfield site that above all suits its purpose. What is even more astonishing is that apparently in the Netherlands, too, which otherwise also like to follow the zeitgeist, it is possible to show a positive image of one's own military and to celebrate the technical achievements of the national armed forces and their operational successes.
Among the matters of course (which are not a matter of course only in Germany) is charging visitors an admission fee that benefits the operation of the institution, and offering the youngest visitors a playground whose central play equipment is, appropriately for the place, a (wooden) tank. The aviation enthusiast is delighted that, thanks to the spacious and bright building, ways have been found to present the aircraft on display in a particularly attractive and photogenic way. And the MiG-21 enthusiast is pleased that there is even a MiG-21 from Soviet stocks in the open-air area – not in the good condition of the domestic exhibits, but still ...
At the time of the visit, the special exhibition "F-16 – 50 Years Fast Forward" was on show – certainly not the author's subject, but simply brilliantly done! Also interesting, of course, is the history of the Soesterberg site, which was both a German air base and a US Air Force base. Here is the photo report.
