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Building 429

Gebouw 429 – Projectielfabriek  hembrug
Gebouw 429 – Projectielfabriek

Projectile factory

Built in 1956, municipal monument

Past
In the wake of World War Two, the construction of this iconic factory by the water was financed from the American Marshall Plan. The Americans helped rebuild Europe by providing financial and material assistance, to counter the expansion of the communist Soviet Union. The building is a full 200 metres long, and has three floors. It was opened in 1957 by Prince Bernhard. Shells and bullets of various calibres were produced in the factory. Of those, the .50 shell was the biggest calibre. Later on, the building also housed the tool production department, the central measuring chamber, the works council, a chemical and metallurgical laboratory, and the technical department. Later still, the training institute operated from here. Following the closure of the entire factory, the in-company training centre continued running until 2010. 

In the basement were four shooting ranges of 50, 75 and 200 metres in length. Here, weapons were tested and calibrated. Occasionally, a weapon was selected to be shot until it broke. A report was then drawn up on how to make the weapon even better. The longest shooting range doubled as an underground shelter, which was shut off by big steel doors on rails. Artillerie Inrichtingen has its own shooting club. Sometimes, shooting contests were held between companies from the Zaan region and the police.

A former employee recalls: ‘When the weapon was ready, it went to 429, the white factory, the .50 factory. Beneath this there were four shooting ranges. The first shooting range is where they did endurance tests. Every so often, a weapon was selected and shot to pieces, they just kept shooting, shooting until bits of it broke, then reports were written saying ‘this is no good, that’s no good’ and those bits were worked on. And each weapon was calibrated. The sights were so finely calibrated that you couldn’t miss!’

Present
This is now the base of cultural centre Het Hem. Together with contemporary visionaries, they develop multidisciplinary art programmes that cast the world around us in a different light.    

More information: https://hethem.nl/

Werknemer in gebouw 429 voor de fabricage van 40, 35 en 25 mm, 1950-1980.

Employee in building 429 for the manufacture of 40, 35, and 25 mm, 1950-1980

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Hembrugterrein History of the buildings on the Hembrug site

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History of the buildings on the Hembrug site Hembrugterrein
Terug naar het thuismuseum Explosives assembly workshop – building 420 – Hembrug .50 munitions assembly and storage – building 430 – Hembrug

Hembrug Museum

Kanonnenloods 14, Zaandam

+31 (0)75 681 00 00
info@hembrugmuseum.nl

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The Zaans Museum was founded in 1998 on the Zaanse Schans to guard and preserve the Zaan heritage.

The Hembrug Museum tells the story of the arms and ammunition factory that was located on the Hembrugterrein in Zaandam.

In 1697, the Russian Tsar Peter the Great stayed in this world-famous house in the center of Zaandam.

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Explosives assembly workshop – building 420 – Hembrug Gebouw 420 Hembrug Gebouw 430 .50 munitions assembly and storage – building 430 – Hembrug

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