Westerbork was a transit camp in Drenthe, in the north of the Netherlands. Most Jews from the Netherlands were deported through it to Auschwitz and Sobibor. The name Westerbork often appears on Stolpersteine in the Netherlands.
What Westerbork was
Westerbork was a transit camp. It was a camp where people stayed for a short time before they were taken further. From there most Jews from the Netherlands were deported to Auschwitz and Sobibor. Auschwitz and Sobibor were places of mass murder. Westerbork was a Nazi camp.
The figures
In 1940 roughly 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands. About 102,000 of them were murdered. Most of those who were deported were sent through Westerbork to Auschwitz and Sobibor.
Westerbork on Stolpersteine
Stolpersteine often name camps and places. Westerbork is one of them, along with Auschwitz, Sobibor, Vught and Bergen-Belsen. A stone may also give the date and place of arrest or deportation. Each stone is for one person.
Looking up a person
If you want to know more about someone on a stone, you can consult archives such as the Joods Monument, the Oorlogsgravenstichting and Netwerk Oorlogsbronnen. Since 2019 the Stichting 18 September has kept a database of Stolpersteine in the Netherlands and Belgium, together with local organisations. If you know more about a person, such as a photo or a story, you can send it to [email protected].
The first Stolpersteine in the Netherlands were laid in Borne in 2007, and Belgium followed in 2009. In the Netherlands and Belgium together there are more than 15,600 Stolpersteine, according to the figure of Stichting 18 September.
A stone lies in front of the last home the person chose freely, before they were forced to move, go into hiding or were arrested. Stones are requested and paid for by private people and local groups, such as relatives, residents, schools and history societies.
The map is from Stichting 18 September, a foundation in Eindhoven. The artist Gunter Demnig had the idea for the Stolpersteine in 1992. They lie in about 30 European countries. There is a free app for iPhone and Android.
Search the Stolpersteine.app map by name to find a person’s stone.
Read on
Auschwitz, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen: place names on Stolpersteine
Many Stolpersteine name a Nazi camp such as Auschwitz or Sobibor. Here is what these place names refer to on a stone, and where to find more.
Are there Stolpersteine for Sinti and Roma?
Yes. The first Stolperstein, laid in 1992, recalled the 1942 order to deport Sinti and Roma. Sinti and Roma are among the commemorated groups.
Stolpersteine for resistance members and political prisoners?
Yes. Stolpersteine commemorate people persecuted for political reasons and resistance members. Here is what the stones say and where to find them on the map.
