Former Schattenberg residential estate - Zwiggelte

The site of former Camp Westerbork, which was demolished decades ago, harbours much more history than just its function as a transit camp. Even after the war, the camp continued to exist for more than 25 years. The site then functioned as a reception camp for Moluccans and became "Woonoord Schattenberg". Thousands of Moluccan people stayed here between 1950 and 1971.

After Indonesia's independence, many Moluccans migrated to the Netherlands, they had fought side by side with the Dutch as KNIL soldiers, but once in the Netherlands were told they had been discharged from the army. A large number of them ended up in Schattenberg, in the old Camp Westerbork, waiting for an opportunity to return. There was a primary school on the site, men worked nearby and women stayed on the site. For years, thousands of Moluccans lived here.

However, there was no return. The last Moluccans to leave Schattenberg residential centre were dispersed among various residential areas in the Netherlands. Many Moluccans did not want to leave Schattenberg, because they did not feel welcome in the new neighbourhoods and, moreover, they still hoped for a return to an independent South Moluccas. Therefore,
vacated the residential resort in 1966; in 1971, the site was permanently closed and also demolished. It is a relatively unknown chapter in the history of the camp, which besides being a residential and transit camp also served as a refugee camp for Jewish people from Germany, between 1939 and 1942.

Old photos: National Archivesrchives