The bunker lies beneath the highest point of Vlieland, close to the lighthouse. It was built during the Second World War as part of the Atlantic Wall. Cheesemaker Nils Koster discovered that its underground climate was ideal for maturing cheese and transformed the site into a cheese store.
Above the bunker stands the former water filtration building. Today, it houses a tasting room and exhibition about the history of the site, cheese production, seaweed and other island products. Visitors can learn more about the maturing process and sample the bunker-aged cheeses.
Parts of the bunker can be visited during a self-guided video tour. Using your own smartphone or tablet, you follow videos in which Nils Koster explains the bunker, the cheesemaking process and how the cheeses mature underground. The visit ends with an extensive cheese tasting.
The tasting room and exhibition are currently open from Tuesday to Friday between 1 pm and 4.30 pm, on Saturday between 10 am and 4.30 pm, and on Sunday between 10.30 am and 4 pm. Tour dates and available time slots can be found in the online calendar.
Vlielander Bunker Cheese is also available through the online shop.
