A new monument since 2023

To honor all 136 victims from Nunspeet who died because of the war, a beautiful new monument was unveiled here in May 2023. This way, all these people can be honored and commemorated at this location.
The ‘silent march’ starts every year on May 4 at this location, which then goes to the resistance monument at the Nunspeet-Oost cemetery.
Below you will find the stories or more information about 47 of the people who are commemorated on these columns.
Do you have additional information about one of these people? Let us know!

Click here for a comprehensive list of the names of all Nunspeet War Victims

The first monument in 1945

The monument in Park 40-45 was erected shortly after the war for all the fallen, executed and deceased in German concentration camps from the municipality of Nunspeet. The first commemoration took place on 29 August 1945 at a temporary monument on the corner of the Laan and the then Molenweg (now Secretaris Boerhoutweg). That monument was made of white painted wood with the municipal coat of arms (then municipality of Ermelo). The eternal fire burned on top. It stood on a mound of raised earth. On the side, the words ‘For our fallen’ were placed in silver letters.

From 1948: Column from the rubble of Nijmegen

In 1948 a new war memorial was erected. The action committee for the new definitive monument consisted of mayor H. M. Martens, ds. J. J. van Dijken, Andries Lenstra and Leen Schaap. The citizens had raised ƒ 3500. A column had been obtained from the rubble of the bombing of this city via the director of Public Works in Nijmegen. Architect Jac Burger was responsible for the design. The plate with the names came from Edelsmeed- en Penning v/h Kon. Begeer in Voorschoten. The monument was unveiled by L.D. (Leen) Schaap, a leader of the resistance during the war. In April 1967 the monument was moved to what was then called the ‘garden of Frowein’. This garden was added to the park. It was alderman Jaap Hiddink who came up with the idea. It was a quieter place than the busy corner of Laan / Molenweg. It was also Hiddink’s idea to name the park Park 40-45. Since 1945, the monument had been maintained at the museum’s own expense by Leen Schaap as chairman of the Dutch association of ex-political prisoners, Nunspeet branch. On 2 March 1970, the board of that branch wrote a letter to the municipality requesting that it take over management and maintenance. Schaap was no longer able to provide the care required for proper maintenance. On 7 April 1970, the municipal council decided to take over maintenance. In 1989, the nameplate was changed and the names of the Nunspeet residents who died in the Indies were also included.

Only twenty names and stories

The monument that stood here from 1948 to 2023 is a truncated column of Bavarian granite with a plaque of black natural stone on the column, a relief of a burning torch and a memorial plaque. The plaque contained the names of 20 fallen soldiers, executed civilians, those who died in German concentration camps and those who died in the Dutch East Indies. But in reality there are many more; that is why a new monument was placed in 2023, listing all 136 victims from Nunspeet who died during the war. Every year on 4 May, the ‘silent march’ starts at this monument and then goes to the resistance monument at the Nunspeet-Oost cemetery.

The column from 1948 listed 20 names as follows:

Killed
G. Hagen 20 yrs. May 1940
T. Hagen 21 yrs. May 1940
F. Couperus 32 yrs. 1940

Executed
M. J. v.d. Wolf 34 yrs. 02-08-1944
D. Vierhout 48 yrs. 07-10-1944
D. D. Bakker 65 yrs. 02-03-1945
P. B. J. IJzerman 49 yrs, 02-03-1945
A. A. IJzerman 19 yrs. 02-03-1945
H. J. Baar 20 yrs. 02-03-1945
H. Franken 23 yrs. 04-03-1945
H. Klein 58 yrs. 12-04-1945

Died in German concentration camps
H. Smienk 42 yrs. 09-11-1944
H. Esselink 32 yrs. 24-12-1944
F. Visser 31 yrs. 1944
G. A. Lenstra 38 yrs. 06-03-1945
A. Hiddink 27 yrs. 18-11-1944 (name not on monument)

Killed in the Dutch East Indies
E. M. W. Bopp 34 yrs. 11-08-1942
C. Meloen 21 yrs. 24-02-1947
K. de Mots 21 yrs. 27-02-1949
W. Stronkhorst 24 yrs. 16-03-1946