The housing accommodations of Radio Kootwijk arose as a result of the building of a
shortwave radio transmitter with the same name, starting in 1918. The transmitter played an important role in the 20th century as a communication facility between the Netherlands and its then colony of
Dutch East Indies. In 1923 Dutch
PTT started trans-oceanic
telegraphy using a
longwave transmitter (a 400 kW
high frequency alternator) from the German
Telefunken company under the callsign PCG, on 24 kHz and 48 kHz. By 1925 the longwave transmitter was changed by a shortwave tube based, electronic transmitter which had a much better performance due to the better propagation of short waves. With this new technology, in 1928 a radio-telephonic connection was established. At the end of
World War II, the
German occupying forces blew up the transmitter. Afterward some of the radio towers were rebuilt. Due to the development of new technologies like
Communications satellites, Radio Kootwijk lost its position as main overseas wireless connection point of the Netherlands. In 1980, the
last transmission mast was blown up. In 2004 the park lost its last transmitter functions, and was transferred from the
KPN company (successor to PTT) to the State Forestry Service, which started attracting new buyers. The main building of the former transmitter park, designed by Dutch architect
Julius Maria Luthmann and named 'Building A', 'The Cathedral' or sometimes 'The Sphynx', was officially appointed as a
monument. It is used as venue and scenery for several cultural events and productions, including the American film
Mindhunters in 2004. == Gallery ==