A Place That Didn't Exist
Look out over Amersfoort as it was in 1671, from a vantage point that didn't actually exist.
Read moreThe Secret Telephone Exchange
Above a bakery in Amersfoort, young women supported the resistance through a secret telephone exchange.
During the Second World War, Vonk confectionery on the Langestraat appeared to be just an ordinary bakery in the centre of Amersfoort. Customers came in for bread and pastries, while above the shop, important resistance work was taking place in secret.
In 1944, the CID set up an illegal telephone exchange here. CID stands for Centrale Inlichtingendienst — a resistance organisation that gathered secret intelligence during the war and relayed messages without the Germans being able to intercept them. From the telephone exchange, resistance groups in Amersfoort and other towns kept in contact with one another.
The resistance's telephone exchange
A remarkable object from the collection recalls this history: the original telephone exchange itself. Using the device, telephone operators connected calls between resistance members in Amersfoort and other parts of the Netherlands. Later, the advancing Canadian troops also used the secret lines.
Dangerous
The work was dangerous. During a raid, the women had to make the exchange disappear at lightning speed. Within seconds, they could hide the device in the ceiling above their workstation. This allowed the Amersfoort resistance to remain active longer and ensured that important messages could be passed on safely.
The convent
The young women who worked at the telephone exchange were not allowed to leave the building during their shifts. To avoid discovery, they remained inside for long periods. As a result, the hiding place quickly earned the nickname 'het Klooster' — the Convent.
The telephone exchange shows how ordinary city locations took on an extraordinary role during the war. Behind the smell of fresh bread lay a world of tension, secrecy and cooperation. The story of the Convent is a reminder of the courage of Amersfoort residents who, often invisibly, fought for their city's freedom.
More stories
The City Keys of Napoleon
Napoleon visited Amersfoort in 1811. The city hoped for a historic moment, but the emperor was mostly in a hurry.
Read moreThe Man Who Saved the Tower
A fierce bolt of lightning set the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren ablaze. Carpenter Lenaart Nicasiusz saved the city from disaster.
Read more