My Galleries - Westerbork camp
“On July 1st, 1942, the German authorities took control of the camp. Westerbork became officially a "transit camp" (Durchgangslager Westerbork).
On July 14th, 1942, all the Jews were examined by the SS in order to determine who was able to work or not.
The first train arrived on July 15th and left the camp on July 16th with 1,135 of the first selected Jews.
By the end of the month, nearly 6,000 Dutch Jews had, in fact reached Auschwitz, where the majorities were gassed.
The destination of this train (and all the following trains) was Auschwitz. In the beginning, the transfers were done at the station of Hooghalen.
In November 1942, and after new rail lines had been constructed, the trains arrived directly into the camp. More than 103.000 Jews were transferred from Westerbork to Auschwitz or Sobibor. “
Anne Frank stayed in this hut from August until early September 1944, when she was taken to Auschwitz.
Anne Frank and her family were put on the first of the three final trains (the three final transports were most probably a reaction to the Allies' offensive) on September 2, 1944 for Auschwitz, arriving there three days later.
The transports stopped in September 1944. When the Allies liberated Westerbork, 900 prisoners remained in the camp.
Between the years 1950–1970, the camp was renamed to Kamp Schattenberg and used to house refugees from the Maluku Islands.
Westerbork as a camp has been destroyed completely.
In 1969, Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) was built on part of the camp area.
14 huge antennas were built.
Near the site there is now a museum which is very well documented and monuments of remembrance of those transported and killed during Second World War.
The monument that touched me made of stones with the Star of David on top of them - 103,000 of them for each Jewish Dutch that have been murdered by the Nazi's.
Remember and never forget.
Amir
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