The Hidden Village
Hidden in the woods
A special historical monument is the former hiding camp ‘Verscholen Dorp’ meaning ‘hidden village’ in Vierhouten. During the Second World War from February 1943, the village was inhabited by 86 people in hiding until they were found by the Germans in 1944. Discover this impressive history in the Vierhoutse forests and the museum in Hotel de Vossenberg where many stories have been preserved.
The 'Watch Out Camp'
The Hidden or Secret Village is also called the ‘Watch Out Camp’. It was founded by the Bakker family from Nunspeet (Grandpa Bakker and Aunt Cor) and lawyer E.H. von Baumhauer from Vierhouten (De Boem). The goal? To provide a safe hiding place for people who were fleeing the Germans during the Second World War. The camp therefore offered shelter to Jews, resistance fighters, allies, a German deserter and many others.
Originally, the camp consisted of 9 huts, which were hidden from view by a dense pine forest. You can still recognize the places by shallow holes in the ground. Now you can visit three replica huts.
The tragic discovery of the hidden village
On 29 October 1944, two SS men who were hunting discovered the camp. The sound of wood chopping caught their attention. They came across a boy who had gone to fetch water. After a short interrogation, they let him go and went to get reinforcements. They thought they had stumbled upon a camp full of ‘dangerous terrorists’. In the meantime, most of the people in hiding were able to escape.
Except for eight Jewish people in hiding. They were imprisoned in the cellar of ‘De Paasheuvel’ in Vierhouten. Two of them were shot at the foot of ‘De Paasheuvel’. The others had to walk back to the ‘Verborgen dorp’. On the way, two people in hiding tried to escape. One of them was shot dead, the other turned back because his 6-year-old son started screaming.
The people in hiding had to lie down in three holes and were shot dead by an execution squad. The 6-year-old boy was also killed. In memory of this tragic event, a small monument was erected on the Tongerenseweg on 4 May 1994. In 1970, a monument in the form of a boulder with a plaque was erected at the former camp.
More information? www.verscholendorpvierhouten.nl