Westerbork Concentration Camp
Westerbork Concentration camp is a three-hour drive east of Amsterdam on the German-Dutch border. Before the outbreak of World War II, Westerbork served as a transit point for Jewish refugees from Germany attempting to enter The Netherlands. After the occupation of Holland and the beginning of Jewish deportations, Westerbork served as a stop on the way to Auschwitz. Otto Frank and his family, including his daughter Anne Frank, lived in this camp until they were deported to Auschwitz in late 1944. Gypsies (Roma and Sinti) were also deported from Westerbork and are memorialized there.
After the war, Westerbork was used as a refugee camp for Dutch and Indonesians, as well as immigrants from the South Moluccan Islands to Holland.
The buildings of the camp were torn down in the 1950s.
The camp today contains various memorials and indications of where the buildings and railroad ramp once stood.
A Museum at Westerbork contains varying exhibitions about the deportation of Dutch Jews.
The memorial at the camp was designed by Ralph Prins, Dutch Jewish Holocaust Survivor.
The large Appelplatz memorial is made of small rectangular stones inserted into the ground at an angle, with a silver flame insignia for Roma and Sinti, and Star of David for Jewish victims. There is one stone for every person who passed through the camp. 104,000 Dutch Jews were deported to Auschwitz, Theresienstadt and Bergen-Belsen. 102,000 were deported through
Westerbork.
Additional Information
Westerbork: portal of Auschwitz
A visit to Kamp Westerbork
Westerbork Transit Camp(Holland)
Westerbork Concentration Camp
Map of Westerbork Transit Camp
Unisted States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Westerbork
|
 Model of camp in museum |
 Entrance to camp |
 Discussion with Westerbork Survivor Louis de Wijze |
 Discussion with survivor Louis de Wizje at memorial |
 Grou with survivor Louis de Wizje. Official delegation from May, 2001 Amsterdam Conference. |
 Site of former ramp |
 Memorial stone placed by Israeli government. "My Sorrow is Continually Before Me" |
 Markings of former barracks |
 Lamentations 4:18 "They hunt our steps that we cannot go into our streets. Our end is near, our days are fulfilled for our end has come." |
 Appelplatz Monument - In shape of map of Netherlands |
 Appelplatz Monument - Carved stone with insignia |
 Appelplatz Monument - Detail |
 Appelplatz Monument - Detail |
 Appelplatz Memorial - Stars for Jews, Flame for Roma/Sinti (gypsies) |
 Appelplatz Monument - Stars represent Jews |
 Flames represent Roma/Sinti |
 End of rail spur into camp |
 National Memorial. Ralph Prins, designer, former inmate |
 National Memorial designed by Ralph Prins |
 Westerbork Museum - Exhibition Hall |
 Westerbork Museum - Suit cases |
 Westerbork Museum - Exhibit of theatre at camp |
 Westerbork Museum - Reconstructed bunk |
 Westerbork Museum - Exhibition Hall |
 Westerbork Museum - Exhibit on post-war Dutch and Indonesian returnees |
 Westerbork Museum - Holocaust sculpture |
 Westerbork Museum - Cart used by Jews |
Photos by Stephen Feinstein, May, 2001.
For other monuments see:
- Auschwitz Death Camp
- Belzec Death Camp memorial, Poland
- Berlin-Denkmal
- Berlin Memorials
- Birkenau
- Buchenwald Concentration Camp
- Drancy and other monuments in France
- George Segal's Monument to Holocaust, San Francisco
- Holocaust Memorials by Peter Boiger
- Krakow Deportation Monument
- Majdanek Death Camp
- Memorial to Murdered Jews of Lithuania at Ponar
- Miami Holocaust Memorial
- Philadelphia Armenian Monument
- Philadelphia Holocaust Memorial
- Places of Remembrance, Berlin
- Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
- Terezin
- Westerbork Concentration Camp
- Smaller Holocaust memorials and sites of interest in Europe and Israel