Glen Mills

Glen Mills School, 'school for winners', part of the Hoenderloo group, is now located at the entrance of the former Willem de Zwijger barracks on the Zuiderzeestraatweg. This barracks was put into use in 1939, just before the war. When the war broke out, the barracks were almost immediately requisitioned by the Germans, who set up a military centre at this strategic location near the IJssel. The horrible scenes during the hunger winter took place before the eyes of the German occupiers. Their behaviour was very erratic, especially with regard to (strong) men who could be deployed in all kinds of work. During raids, many were arrested and taken away. At moments like that, the bridge between fear and hope (the IJssel Bridge) was hermetically sealed. During the Second World War, a second barracks was built in Wezep, the Margriet barracks near the railway line. Towards the end of the war, a large part of the captured Rotterdammers were housed here, as also described in Winter of War. After the war, Wezep remained a real barracks village with the Margriet barracks to this day and the Willem de Zwijger barracks until the end of the nineties of the 20th century. Since 1999, a school has been established here on the model of an American campus, where boys from the age of 14 who are active in gangs and show delinquent behaviour are put on the right track in groups by means of a special programme.

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