Westerbork transit camp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Westerbork |
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| Transit camp | |
Barracks at Westerbork after liberation
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 Location in Netherlands
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| Coordinates | 52°55′3″N 6°36′26″E / 52.91750°N 6.60722°E |
| Other names | Polizeiliches Durchgangslager Westerbork, Judendurchgangslager Westerbork |
| Location | Westerbork, Netherlands |
| Operated by | SS |
| Original use | Refugee camp |
| Operational | 1939 – 1940 (as a refugee camp) 1 July 1942 – 12 April 1945 (as a transit camp) |
| Inmates | Jews |
| Number of inmates |
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| Liberated by | Canadian 2nd Infantry Division |
| Notable inmates | Anne Frank, Dora Gerson, Etty Hillesum, Philip Slier, Edith Stein, Selma Wijnberg-Engel, Max Ehrlich, Wilhelm Mautner, Ellen Burka, Walter Süskind, Settela Steinbach, Maurice Frankenhuis |
| Notable books | The Night of the Girondins |
Camp Westerbork was a special camp in the Netherlands during World War II. It was built by the Dutch government in 1939. At first, it was a place for Jewish people from Germany and Austria to find safety. These people were escaping unfair treatment by the Nazis.
But after Germany took over the Netherlands in 1940, the camp's purpose changed. From 1942, the Nazis used Camp Westerbork as a "transit camp." This meant it was a temporary stop. Jewish people were brought here before being sent to much larger and more dangerous concentration camps in other countries.
Contents
What Was Camp Westerbork For?
The camp was first meant to be a safe place for refugees. These were people, especially Jews, who had fled from Germany and Austria. They came to the Netherlands to escape the Nazis.
After Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, the camp's role changed. By 1942, Camp Westerbork became a place where Jewish people were gathered. From here, they were sent away to other camps. Westerbork was not built for mass killings like some other Nazi camps. The Nazis even called it "humane" by their own terrible standards.
Some Jewish families lived in small cottages. These cottages had two rooms, a toilet, and a small cooking area. Single people stayed in long buildings called barracks.
Trains to Other Camps
Every Tuesday, from July 1942 to September 1944, trains left Westerbork. These trains carried Jewish people away. About 97,776 Jewish people were sent from Westerbork during this time. Most of them went to Auschwitz concentration camp and Sobibór extermination camp. Almost all of these people were killed when they arrived at those camps.
The Nazis tried to make Westerbork seem less harsh. They set up a school, an orchestra, and even restaurants. This was done to give prisoners false hope. It also helped prevent problems during the deportations. Prisoners were given jobs like metalwork or health services.
A group of 2,000 Jewish prisoners worked permanently in the camp. Some of them were forced to be part of a "Jewish police" group. They had to help with the transports and keep order. Most of these 2,000 permanent workers were later sent to other camps themselves.
Famous Prisoners
Many people were held at Westerbork. One very famous prisoner was Anne Frank. She arrived at Camp Westerbork on August 8, 1944. Anne stayed in a small hut until September 3, when she was sent to Auschwitz.
Another notable prisoner was Etty Hillesum. She wrote about her experiences in a diary. Etty volunteered to go to Westerbork in April 1942. She stayed there until September 7, 1943, before being sent to Auschwitz, where she died.
German actress Dora Gerson was also held at Westerbork with her family. She was later sent to Auschwitz. Jona Oberski wrote a book called Kinderjaren (Childhood). It tells about his time as a small child in Westerbork. This book was later made into a movie.
Maurice Frankenhuis wrote about his family's time at Westerbork. He even interviewed the camp commander after the war. This interview helped create a film in 2019. The film used original video of the transports from Westerbork.
Hans Mossel, a Jewish-Dutch musician, was also a prisoner at Westerbork for a short time in 1944. He was then sent to the Auschwitz III camp.
Camp Leaders
Jacques Schol, a Dutchman, was in charge of the camp from 1940 to 1943. Some reports say he was very harsh. Other reports say he was strict but not cruel. They suggest he organized the camp well to keep the Germans from taking over completely.
German authorities took control of Westerbork in July 1942. Schol was replaced by a German commander named Albert Konrad Gemmeker. Gemmeker was responsible for sending about 100,000 Jewish people to the death camps. After the war, he received a light sentence. He claimed he did not know what would happen to the Jews after they left Westerbork. Inside the camp, German SS members were in charge. However, groups of Jewish police, led by Kurt Schlesinger, helped keep order and with the transports.
Camp Liberation
The trains stopped leaving Camp Westerbork in September 1944. Allied soldiers got close to Westerbork in early April 1945. German officials then left the camp. Canadian forces freed Westerbork on April 12, 1945. They found 876 prisoners still there.
A Canadian soldier wrote in his diary about seeing the camp. He described it looking like a prison, surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers. He was shocked that people were held there just for being Jewish. He felt it showed what they were fighting for.
After World War II
After the war, Westerbork was used as a prison. It held people accused of helping the Nazis. Later, it housed Dutch people who had lived in Indonesia.
The Dutch government completely took apart Westerbork in the 1960s. Today, a large radio telescope called the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope stands on the site. Only the house where the camp commander lived has been saved. It is now protected inside a glass container.
Remembering the Past
In 1950, a Jewish historian named Jacques Presser was asked to study what happened to Dutch Jews. He also looked at how much non-Jewish Dutch people helped the Nazis. His findings were published in a book called The Catastrophe in 1965. Presser also wrote a novel, The Night of the Girondins, which was set in Westerbork.
Home for Moluccan Soldiers
In 1949, the Dutch left Indonesia after ruling it for over 300 years. This caused problems for some native Indonesians. These included Moluccan soldiers who had worked with the Dutch army. They were evacuated to the Netherlands because they were in danger. They were promised they would return home soon. However, from 1951 to 1971, these soldiers and their families had to stay at the camp. During this time, the camp was called Kamp Schattenberg.
Memorials
A museum was built two miles from Westerbork. It helps keep the memories of those imprisoned there alive. A special memorial was made for the prisoners who died after being sent away. It has 102,000 stones. Each stone stands for one person who was deported from Westerbork and never came back.
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands opened the National Westerbork Memorial on May 4, 1970. There is also a monument of a broken railroad track near the camp. It shows the terrible destruction caused by the camp. It also means that tracks should never again carry people to their deaths.
In 2017, films made by a Jewish prisoner named Rudolf Breslauer were added to the UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. These films were ordered by the German camp commander. They show daily life in the Westerbork transit camp.
See also
In Spanish: Campo de concentración de Westerbork para niños
- Westerbork movie, a 1944 film shot in Westerbork
- Herzogenbusch concentration camp
- Amersfoort concentration camp
- Camp Barneveld
