Woeste Hoeve

Woeste Hoeve is a hamlet in the municipality of Apeldoorn. The hamlet consists of a restaurant and a few houses.

Woeste Hoeve originated at the crossroads of the old Hanzeweg from Arnhem to Deventer and the hessenweg from Steenderen to Barneveld.

An extension was already built there in the Middle Ages, where later a hamlet "op Woest Hoef" grew. Almost nothing remains of the hamlet now, but the extension, rebuilt in 1771 after the old inn burned down, still stands.

That fire was started by a certain Gerrit. Gerrit was in love with the girl his brother married. On the wedding night, he set fire to the house, burning the newlyweds alive. Gerrit was soon arrested by the judiciary, but despite this, it is still claimed that in dark nights one can see someone with a firebox wandering through the woods.
They call him Glowing Gerrit or Glüende Gerrit.

Near Woeste Hoeve, the attack on SS General Hanns Rauter took place in the night of 6 March to 7 March 1945. The intention of the resistance was to obtain a German army vehicle; they didn't know Rauter was in the car. Rauter was severely wounded but survived the gunfight. The Germans had several hundred prisoners executed in reprisal, of which 117 at Woeste Hoeve.

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