The fortifications survive because they were built on land belonging to Prince Charles, Count of Flanders who decided that they should not be destroyed after the war, but be kept as a national monument.

During the German occupation of Belgium in World War I, the Aachen Battery was built to defend nearby Ostend on the land which forms part of the museum.

The majority of the preserved bunkers and trenches at the site date to the construction of the Atlantic Wall during the second German occupation during World War II.

Numerous bunkers, gun emplacements and trenches were built on the site, including the well preserved Saltzwedel neu Battery.

Several of the fortifications have been renovated to their wartime condition and the museums also displays uniforms and equipment used by the garrison.