Ede, Harskamp, Lunteren

World War II still leaves deep marks on people who consciously experienced the war. The events are engraved in the collective memory, with the generations that come after being able to experience the memory to learn from it. In the triangle Harskamp ─ Ede ─ Lunteren, you will find many monuments, memorial plaques and ruins that remind us all of these black pages in the homeland's history. This centrally located part of the province of Gelderland, belonging to the municipality of Ede, played a major role in World War II. Heavy fighting with tanks and planes with dropping bombs that rained fire from the sky, amid the beautiful nature the Veluwe is known for. The contrast could hardly be greater.

Ede itself suffered a bombing raid at the height of World War II to eliminate the German occupiers as much as possible. It was the starting shot for Operation Market Garden, in which the Allies incalculated civilian casualties. The trauma suffered by Edeners was unprecedented.

Otterlo was the scene of a short but fierce battle during the liberation. To commemorate this event, there is a monument in Otterlo on the Dorpsstaat in memory of the fallen Canadian and British soldiers. Four Otterlo residents were also killed. On the German side, there were reportedly hundreds of dead soldiers. It was the last major Battle of the Netherlands.

Harskamp played a major role just after World War II in terms of retaliation. During the liberation, 4,000 country traitors were imprisoned here in a purpose-built internment camp to be tried later by the Canadians. Here were collaborators from all over the country who had served for the Waffen-SS, the Ordnungspolizei and the Netherlands Volunteer Legion. For these people, the war was clearly not over.

When you experience the peace and quiet on the Veluwe, hear the birdsong and maybe even spot a young deer here and there, you realise that things could have turned out very differently if the Dutch resistance had not held out in this place. Today, you can go wherever you want and get on your bike whenever it suits you. All thanks to the sacrifices made by thousands of resistance heroes almost 100 years ago.

Photo 1: Nationaal Archief


This premium cycling route was compiled by our editor: Martin van Rhee.