Westerbork

[[image:westerbork.jpg:Camp Westerbork:left:1]] Until yesterday, I was slightly ashamed to not have been to Camp Westerbork before. A pivotal point in dutch history when it comes to WWII, this was the camp where over 100,000 jews, sinti, roma and caught resistance were sent, waiting for deportation to the german concentration camps. Until yesterday.

Until yesterday, I was slightly ashamed to not have been to Camp Westerbork before. A pivotal point in dutch history when it comes to WWII, this was the camp where over 100,000 jews, sinti, roma and caught resistance were sent, waiting for deportation to the german concentration camps. Until yesterday.What a disappointment it was. Truely. The only thing that was really impressive about the place, was what you know has happened there. There are now two parts in their feeble attempt to keep the memory alive. A museum, way too small, in which the only really impressive thing was a 15-minute documentary that I suspect isn't limited to this museum, but that they just play because it's related to the camp. The second part is the old camp itself. Which was probably worst. Aside from two well-executed remembrance monuments (the appèl-square filled with small stones representing the people who were there in the war and the piece of railway representing the railway leading out of the camp towards german camps such as Auschwitz) there is nothing of any value there except for the thought that you are there. All of the camp has been demolished (which isn't surprising considering they used the camp after the war for other purposes) but now that it's just a monument, they put back some of the old walls, but not in the original way (wood) but in very ugly concrete. And, in a complete and utter attempt to show no respect at all to what happened in the camp, they allowed for the placement of a whole line of radio telescopes inside the camp. I mean, if they'd placed those telescopes just 100 meters to the side, they would not be inside the camp but outside of the camp. I simply can't understand some of the decisions were made concerning this camp. What is left now is something that, to me, does not represent what happened there, and is definately not helping in reminding people that what happened during WWII is something that should not happen again. The whole thing is just too friendly. A big disappointment. My pictures of Westerbork
August 18, 2005