DOWN BY THE SEA

The Atlantic Wall - on the coast of Denmark

The Atlantic Wall was a more than 5,000 kilometer long coastal defense line that the Nazis built in the occupied territories to prevent an Allied invasion. It ran from Norway via Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium to France and the border with Spain. Due to coastal loss, the bunkers that were once built in the Danish dunes now lie directly on the beach like stranded UFOs from another time. Weathered by the sea and half covered by sand, they rise like bizarre sculptures as a war memorial in the carefree Danish holiday landscape. These colossi, slowly sinking into the sand and sea, were impressive climbing structures for me even as a child. It wasn't until much later that I read about its creation, its history and its meaning. For me, this place combines a past brutality that nature is slowly reclaiming.