Zwiggelte: Village History, Kamp Westerbork and Observatory

Zwiggelte offers a range of reasons to visit: architectural and settlement history, the history of the former Kamp Westerbork, astronomy, and trails through forest and heathland. When planning your visit, it is worth bearing the relevant visitor information in mind: different access rules apply to the Kamp grounds and the restricted zone around the telescope.

Village Character and Architectural History

Zwiggelte is an originally medieval esdorp (a village with a communal arable field), whose open character has largely been preserved. Noteworthy longhouse farmhouses dating from the 18th and 19th centuries stand along Hoofdstraat. In these houses, the agricultural section is located either at the rear or in the middle. This architectural feature makes the houses a tangible part of the village’s history: the traditional settlement pattern and the layout of the agricultural section offer a different insight from the history of the former camp.

Kamp Westerbork: Remembrance and Architecture

The permanent exhibition at Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork tells the story of the site through personal accounts by deportees, guards, train drivers and neighbours, as well as people who helped Jews hide or escape. The exhibition thus focuses on a range of personal experiences and roles.

The surviving original structures of the Kamp Westerbork complex are of international cultural and historical significance because of their special function and their importance for and during the Second World War. The SS bunker at Schattenberg 4 in Zwiggelte is a rare and essential part of the complex. Its typology and use of materials underpin its architectural-historical significance.

The Commandantswoning is one of the few surviving buildings in the camp and is a Dutch Rijksmonument (national heritage site). The wooden Commandantswoning is covered by a glass greenhouse structure that protects it from further decay. It was built in 1939 by the Rijksgebouwendienst, when the camp began as Centraal Vluchtelingenkamp Westerbork—a Dutch reception centre for Jewish refugees from Germany. The building also helps place the early phase of the camp’s history in context.

Astronomy, Landscape and Routes

The Melkwegpad is a walking route and educational forest trail that depicts the solar system to scale. Each planet is briefly explained, and the route ends at the first dish of the WSRT. The focus is on the fascinating universe and Europe’s largest radio telescopes. The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, or WSRT, consists of 14 individual parabolic antennas in the forests. The ASTRON radio observatory is also located on the grounds of the former Kamp Westerbork—a place where history, nature and science come together.

Two routes differ in type and length when choosing an activity: the signposted Westerbork–Zwiggelte walking route is 15 km long and goes from Westerbork through Zwiggelte and back. The accessible cycling route through Boswachterij Hooghalen covers 21 km. It follows quiet cycle paths through coniferous and deciduous forests, past heathland, small bog lakes and old drift-sand areas. On the other side of the canal lies Zwiggelterveld, a large forest and heathland area that is now part of Boswachterij Hooghalen. Route conditions may change, so check the latest information before setting out.

Visitor Information

If you plan to visit the Kamp grounds by car, you can park at Herinneringscentrum and take a shuttle bus to the site. Check whether the shuttle bus is running before your trip. Vehicle traffic is restricted within the telescope’s restricted zone. Visitors not accompanied by ASTRON should park outside the zone and continue to the telescope on foot or by bicycle. As access rules may change due to operational requirements, check the latest ASTRON information before travelling.

The parking and shuttle option applies to visits to the Kamp grounds; the vehicle rule applies to the telescope’s restricted zone. If you plan to visit both, check the relevant information separately.

Discover more destinations: Orvelte, Elp, Mantinge, Westerbork, Beilen, Ruinerwold, Hoogersmilde, Hooghalen

For the broader travel overview: Midden-Drenthe.