On the Hoornwerkstraat stands a ruin (Lunette B) that is owned by NV Stadsherstel (a company formed in 1995 to preserve and/or renovate buildings in Breda).
A glass ‘cube’ has been constructed over this ruin, creating a modern, functional office building. Central to the design was the principle that the ruin itself must remain clearly visible. The use of glass to construct the building gives the impression of a huge ‘stone’ being displayed in a showcase or shop window. The contrast between the materials stone and glass emphasizes the difference between the historical monument and the new function as an office building. Since 2005 the building houses the Breda branch of Rothuizen van Doorn ’t Hooft.
The building of Lunettes A and B in Breda was ordered in 1841 by royal decree. (A lunette in this context is a fortification in the form of a detached bastion.) These lunettes were constructed as defences along the so-called Antwerp Front. The lunette takes the form of two wings: one comprising three rooms for a mortar (bunker), the other with two canon casemates and a gunpowder room. This type of fortification is unique in the Netherlands, justifying its assignation as a national monument.
