"Peaceful village, with a dark history" Westerbork by Pavlik_NL

Westerbork Travel Guide: 23 reviews and 92 photos

Sttt, maybe we can here someone up there

Listening to the stars

Besides the village that is named Westerbork and the dreadful transport camp that was here during World War II, I would like to start my page about this place in the province Drenthe with something quite different: the radio telescopes. Silently these enormous machines stand in a row cutting through the forest and listening to the stars. Will we ever hear from our friends from other universes?

Darkest place in the Netherlands during WW II

One of the monuments on the camp's terrain

It's hard to imagine what terrifying things happened here. Westerbork was turned in the second world war into a "Durchgangs Lager" or a transport camp where assembled jews from the Netherlands were put on (cattle) trains to the even more horrable concentration camps in Germany and Poland. My visit was on a snow white winterday in the week before the large Auschwitz commemoration (2005). Linked with this event, 102.000 names of Nazi-victims were read out loud on the camps ground. This, together with the feeling that one anyway gets when walking around in this dreadful place, made an enormous impression on me. In the tips, but especially in the travelogues I show a little of this visit to Camp Westerbork.

The other side of Westerbork

Church in the actual village of Westerbork

Of course, now-a-days Westerbork is a monumental place that commemorates this horrible things that lay in the past (though some idiots still repeat mistakes made in history). Westerbork is also a wonderful village in a agricultural countryside that is mixed with some small forests and heatherfields. The village also offers a small museum. More about it in the tips.

Intro Updated Mar 12, 2005
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Reviews (12)

Map of the area around the camp - Westerbork

The camp near ... Hooghalen! Transportation (1)

Wetsrebork itself is a small village that lays in the middle of the province of Drenthe. The actual must sees are... more travel advice

A strange combination briings you many thoughts - Westerbork

The Netherlands and the Nazi-holocaust Favorites (1)

When at the end of the 30's in the 20st century, jews felt less and less at home in Germany, large numbers started... more travel advice

The "knipsel" museum within the village centre - Westerbork

Westerbork, the village itself (11 km... Off The Beaten Path (1)

Though the former camp and the radiotelescopes are on manucipality soil of Westerbork, the actual village is about 11... more travel advice

The aray in Westerbork is European largest - Westerbork

Radiotelescopes, the European assembly Things to Do (9)

Together we stand strong also counts for radio telscopes. In Westerbork 11 telescopes are standing in a row and follow... more travel advice

Travelogues (2)

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Comments (2)

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Gili_S Mar 17, 2005 at 10:29 AM

Yes, a dark place in history, it is so sad, but great information that telling the stories to the future generations with the hope that something will be learnt from this.
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sachara Mar 16, 2005 at 7:28 AM

Paul, a very impressive Westerbork page !