Sellingerbeetse
Encyclopedia
Sellingerbeetse is a village in the Dutch
province of Groningen
. It is a part of the municipality of Vlagtwedde
, and lies about 5 km southwest of Sellingen
and 8 km north of Ter Apel
. The core village has a population of about 210, while the Sellingerbeetse including the surrounding countryside has a population of around 760.
The village has a church, Opwaarts! (Upwards!), built in Amsterdam School
style in 1925 by the Dutch Reformed Church
. Nowadays it serves as a cultural stage and is used for, amongst other things, expositions.
Near the village are the remains of internment
camp Kamp de Beetse, in use between 1935 and 1948, where it served several housing purposes . Initially, from 1935, it was as a working camp for jobless Dutchmen. From January 1942, during the Second World War
, the German military housed several hundreds Jews from Amsterdam, who were transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp
in October 1942 where many died. In 1944 it housed several hundreds Dutchmen for Unfree labour on the local farms. Later in 1944, when the southern part of the Netherlands were liberated, it temporally housed members from the NSB, who as collaborators with the Germans had fled to the north. After the liberation in 1945, hundreds of former NSB and SS
members were imprisoned. The camp was closed in 1948, and currently only one single barrack
remains.
The Sellingerveld (field of Sellingen) is an area located near the town. It contains a lake, the Beetserplas (Gronings: Beetser koeln), formed as the result of intensive excavations
and popular for recreation. A camping site is located near the lake.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
province of Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
. It is a part of the municipality of Vlagtwedde
Vlagtwedde
Vlagtwedde is a municipality in the very southeast of Groningen province in the northeastern Netherlands with seat of local government in the community of Sellingen...
, and lies about 5 km southwest of Sellingen
Sellingen
Sellingen is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Vlagtwedde, and lies about northeast of Emmen.In 2006, statistical area "Sellingen", which also includes the surrounding countryside, had a population of 1920 in 820 households in an area of , and the town...
and 8 km north of Ter Apel
Ter Apel
Ter Apel is a town in the municipality Vlagtwedde in the northern Netherlands, in the province Groningen in the region Westerwolde. The town lies on the stream Ruiten Aa, which has the valley that together with the Ter Apeler forest belongs to the national network of nature reserves, the...
. The core village has a population of about 210, while the Sellingerbeetse including the surrounding countryside has a population of around 760.
The village has a church, Opwaarts! (Upwards!), built in Amsterdam School
Amsterdam School
The Amsterdam School is a style of architecture that arose from 1910 through about 1930 in The Netherlands...
style in 1925 by the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
. Nowadays it serves as a cultural stage and is used for, amongst other things, expositions.
Near the village are the remains of internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
camp Kamp de Beetse, in use between 1935 and 1948, where it served several housing purposes . Initially, from 1935, it was as a working camp for jobless Dutchmen. From January 1942, during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the German military housed several hundreds Jews from Amsterdam, who were transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
in October 1942 where many died. In 1944 it housed several hundreds Dutchmen for Unfree labour on the local farms. Later in 1944, when the southern part of the Netherlands were liberated, it temporally housed members from the NSB, who as collaborators with the Germans had fled to the north. After the liberation in 1945, hundreds of former NSB and SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
members were imprisoned. The camp was closed in 1948, and currently only one single barrack
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
remains.
The Sellingerveld (field of Sellingen) is an area located near the town. It contains a lake, the Beetserplas (Gronings: Beetser koeln), formed as the result of intensive excavations
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
and popular for recreation. A camping site is located near the lake.