Home  /  News  /  Community News  /  Primary School 'Langeberg' visits JFCBS as part of new NATO school project

Brunssum, The Netherlands - On Thursday 29^th June, a group of school children aged 11-12 from the Langeberg School in Brunssum visited the headquarters as part of a NATO project entitled 'De Soldatenmijn' (the Military Mine). The pupils were guests of HQ Joint Force Command Brunssum (HQ JFCBS), based at the Hendrik van Nassau Ouwerkerk Camp, the former site of the Hendrik State Mine in Brunssum.

The pupils entered the grounds through the old main entrance on the Akerstraat. There, they were met by Lieutenant Colonel Bart of HQ JFCBS and given a 120-minute presentation followed by a tour of the grounds lasting over half an hour.

The presentation talked about the rise, heyday and fall of the Dutch mining industry and the associated socio-economic consequences. It also described the measures the Dutch government took to attract alternative employment to the area. Among the measures was the invitation to NATO to move one of its headquarters (then known as HQ AFCENT) to Brunssum from France in 1967.

During the tour, Lt Col Bams pointed out a few things about the site that are still reminders of the state mine.

To strengthen the relationship between HQ JFCBS and the community, HQ JFCBS has initiated two projects, namely the school project mentioned above and another similar project in which the local community will be invited to take part over the summer holidays.

If successful, these projects will become permanent. Residents are encouraged to keep an eye on the local media for future announcements.