Barack Schattenberg Camp Westerbork

On the site of Camp Westerbork is a reminder of the 20-year occupation of the camp by Moluccans. The monument is made up of authentic barracks.

From generation to generation, Moluccan men served at the KNIL (Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger). They were loyal to the colonial authority and the Dutch queen. They fought on the side of the Netherlands in the Second World War and then against the Indonesian nationalists. When the Republic of Indonesia became independent in 1949, the KNIL was dissolved. But because of the outbreak of independence struggle in the Moluccas, demobilization on Ambon was impossible for the soldiers of Moluccan descent. It was decided to transfer them with family members to the Netherlands for temporary accommodation.

More than 12,000 Moluccans left for the Netherlands. On 21 March 1951 the first Ambonese arrived in Rotterdam: soldiers from the KNIL and their families. They were housed in old labor camps and former concentration camps, such as Kamp Westerbork. The largest size was when more than 3,000 Moluccans lived on the camp site. The name was changed to Schattenberg residence. The Moluccans inhabited the camp site between 1951 and 1971.

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Source

• Text: René ten Dam
• Photos: Bureau Funeralia / René ten Dam
• Kamp Westerbork