‘Do you still have them in the drawer? Go!’ With this message, the Camp Westerbork Remembrance Center hopes to encourage people to come by for free. This year many entrance tickets were given away to families and children, but many of those tickets are not used.
These are maps that were made available by the municipalities of Assen, Emmen, Meppel, Midden-Drenthe and Tynaarlo. “There was really a lot of response, people thought it was fantastic,” says director Bertien Minco of the Remembrance Center. “A large part of those cards were gone very quickly.”
Ultimately, of all those requested cards, only 10 to 17 percent were actually redeemed. In other words, most people who have a ticket end up not showing up. “We really think that’s a shame,” sighs Minco.
“Maybe the card is in a drawer somewhere, or the plan was there, but it didn’t happen. That’s why we’re starting a campaign now: don’t hesitate, get those cards out of the drawer and come to us.”
The ticket is still valid until the end of December, so there is still plenty of time to plan a visit. “But this month is actually ideal: it is Children’s Month, with special exhibitions and activities for children,” says Minco. “Ideal for young families. And later this month the autumn holidays will also start.”
October Children’s Month is used for extra promotion, with special attention to the story of the murdered Jewish boy Leo Meijer. “We also present the story of Camp Westerbork in a way that touches and stays with children.”
It remains to be seen whether the card campaign will be repeated next year. “This was probably a one-off contribution from the municipalities,” Minco thinks. “And that makes it extra unfortunate that so many people don’t show up. There are people who wanted to come, but missed out because there were no more tickets. For example in Midden-Drenthe, they are used to it.”