Route 35: The Barracks Sellingen-Jipsinghuizen
On this route you walk through the eventful history of Sellingen and Jipsinghuizen. On the long version, dogs are not allowed; on the short version, they are allowed.
Walk and listen to the Podwalk via Wolfmaps.
The Hell of Jipsinghuizen (by Cees Stolk)
Walking through an eventful history. Creation began anew in Westerwolde. Thousands of hectares of wild heathland were transformed during the crisis years of the 20th century. The unemployed toiled with the sweat of their brow, thereby creating a new land. It was called ‘public works’ back then. The driving force behind it was government inspector Jan Buiskool, first a minister, later mayor of Vlagtwedde and Delfzijl. To the working class, he went down in history as the driving force, the ‘Mussolini of Groningen’, but to the government he was the architect of public works schemes throughout the Netherlands. The public works scheme that began in Groningen in 1924 served as a model for other projects across the country.
From all parts of the provin...
Walk and listen to the Podwalk via Wolfmaps.
The Hell of Jipsinghuizen (by Cees Stolk)
Walking through an eventful history. Creation began anew in Westerwolde. Thousands of hectares of wild heathland were transformed during the crisis years of the 20th century. The unemployed toiled with the sweat of their brow, thereby creating a new land. It was called ‘public works’ back then. The driving force behind it was government inspector Jan Buiskool, first a minister, later mayor of Vlagtwedde and Delfzijl. To the working class, he went down in history as the driving force, the ‘Mussolini of Groningen’, but to the government he was the architect of public works schemes throughout the Netherlands. The public works scheme that began in Groningen in 1924 served as a model for other projects across the country.
Unemployed people from all parts of the province of Groningen, but also from the west of the country, came to Westerwolde with their spades slung over their shoulders. Forced labour. Their task: to dig up wild, barren soil to a depth of one metre. Their final destination: the tram station at Jipsinghuizen. The unemployed were paid a considerably lower wage than was customary in agriculture. It was heavy physical labour, and many of those put to work had received an education and were completely unaccustomed to such work.
Opposite the station (now a private residence), a sculpture by Eddy Roos serves as a reminder of that era. The sculpture embodies the despair of that time and de hoop for a new dawn.
Workers spoke of a 'hell'. The farmers and bosses of a 'boon'. The unemployed left home on Mondays for a week. After a 50-hour working week, they reeked of lysol when they returned home on Saturday. Their shack was thoroughly decontaminated. One of the dozens of barracks where they were housed is still standing. A 2nd barrack is under construction. Near Jipsingboertange, the past visits the hiker. He steps back in time and experiences the horrors of labour relief.
After the unemployed, the Nazi regime herded the Jews together in barracks before they went on single trips to Auschwitz. And after the war, the government quartered wrongdoers in them. Camp de Beetse is one such example of multifunctional use.
For opening hours, see https://kampdebeetse.wordpress.com/. If the camp is closed, the documentation "Former Labour Camp" can also be viewed behind the sliding doors of the main barracks.
Any comments on the route? Let us know via the contact form
This is a route of the Walking in Westerwolde Foundation, sponsored by Camping De Bronzen Eik, Restaurant De Ruiten AA.
Camping De Bronzen Eik and Restaurant De Ruiten AA
Zevenmeersveenweg 1
9551VT Sellingen
Tel. 0599 322006
receptie@debronzeneik.nl
www,restaurantderuitenaa.nl
www.debronzeneik.nl
Here’s what you’ll see
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Starting point:
Parking area former camp "De Beetse
Zevenmeersveenweg 10
9511 VV Sellingen
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End point:
Parking area former camp "De Beetse
Zevenmeersveenweg 10
9511 VV Sellingen
Navigate to end point
LISTEN: Fragment 1
Welcome to this journey through time
LISTEN: Fragment 1
LISTEN: Clip 1
Zevenmeersveenweg 10
9511 VV
Sellingen
LISTEN: Fragment 2
You are at the start of a walking tour that takes you through the history of Camp de Beetse and its many faces: labour camp, reception camp and internment camp.
LISTEN: Fragment 2
LISTEN: Clip 2
Zevenmeersveenweg 10
9551 VV
Jipsingboertange
LISTEN: Fragment 3
A large labour camp was built here in 1934.
LISTEN: Fragment 3
LISTEN: Clip 3
Hekkenweg
9551 TM
Sellingen
LISTEN: Fragment 4
Look around and imagine what these lands looked like 100 years ago: wild, abandoned heathland, barely usable for agriculture.
LISTEN: Fragment 4
LISTEN: Clip 4
Jipsingboertangerweg 35
9551 TR
Jipsingboertange
LISTEN: Fragment 5
Try to imagine what life was like in the camp. The workers came from Groningen, but also from cities like Amsterdam, Leiden and Rotterdam.
LISTEN: Fragment 5
LISTEN: Clip 5
Jipsingboertangerweg 5
9551 TL
Jipsinghuizen
LISTEN: Fragment 6
The working days were long and the work was leaden.
LISTEN: Fragment 6
LISTEN: Clip 6
Lammerweg 35
9551 TC
Jipsinghuizen
LISTEN: Fragment 7
Food in the camp was simple but nutritious - fat was essential for the hard work.
LISTEN: Fragment 7
LISTEN: Clip 7
Rijsdammerweg 9
9551 TD
Rijsdam
LISTEN: Fragment 8
Camp de Beetse was considered a model camp by the government in the 1930s. But the workers thought otherwise.
LISTEN: Fragment 8
LISTEN: Clip 8
Bovendiepsterweg 4
9551 VW
Rijsdam
LISTEN: Excerpt 9
The camp took on a new, tragic role in January 1942
LISTEN: Excerpt 9
LISTEN: Clip 9
Zevenmeersveenweg 1
9551 VW
Sellingen
LISTEN: Fragment 10
We return to the man who set all this in motion: Jan Buiskool.
LISTEN: Fragment 10
LISTEN: Clip 10
Dennenweg
9551 VJ
Sellingerzwarteveen
LISTEN: Excerpt 11
In September 1944, the camp changed function again.
LISTEN: Excerpt 11
LISTEN: Clip 11
Beetserwijk
9551 VM
Jipsingboertange
LISTEN: Fragment 12
After liberation in April 1945, Camp de Beetse came under military command.
LISTEN: Fragment 12
LISTEN: Clip 12
Beetserwijk
9551 VE
Jipsingboertange
LISTEN: Excerpt 13
You now walk through a landscape largely shaped by the people who once worked here.
LISTEN: Excerpt 13
LISTEN: Clip 13
Beetserwijk
9551 VT
Jipsingboertange
LISTEN: Fragment 14
You have walked through a landscape full of hidden stories.
LISTEN: Fragment 14
LISTEN: Clip 14
Zevenmeersveenweg 5
9551 VT
Jipsingboertange
Features
Tour/Route
- Tagged: Yes
- Route typing: Nature trail
- Route features: From A to A
- Explanatory marking: Yellow and white marking WIW35 and image De Barak
- Comment starting point: Dogs are not allowed on the long route; dogs are allowed on the short variant.
Walking
- Dogs not permitted Yes