Westerbork Camp

Vledder is a peat village in the southwest of Drenthe in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Westerveld. Like many other Drenthe brink villages, Vledder has a long history. Various burial mounds and urn fields from the Neolithic period have been found in the vicinity of Vledder. Several prehistoric artifacts have been discovered, such as stone axes, amber, and urns.

The name Vledder refers to a wet place. The two oldest streets of the village are situated around a lower area that used to be quite wet. The village has two greens, colloquially referred to as the large and the small green. As with all peat villages, there is a stream not far from the village, the Vledder Aa. The Vledderveld behind the peat bog is now a forest management area of Staatsbosbeheer. During the war, until 1942, a labor camp was located at this Vledderveld for Jewish men who were forced by the Germans to develop the Vledderveld. At the end of 1942, this camp was dismantled, and the men were sent to Camp Westerbork. After the war, the camp served for a while as a shelter for draft dodgers.

Because Vledder is quite close to the Frisian border, it is one of the few Drentse villages with a church that has a saddle-roof tower.

The village has several museums: a museum for fake art and graphics, and a shell museum (Miramar Sea Museum). In the summer, the village attracts peace-seeking tourists. Therefore, there are several campsites. Five kilometers from Vledder lies the Drents-Friese Wold National Park.

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