In addition to the period of Schattenberg, objects from earlier periods have also been found in the camp. From the time when it served as the transit camp where Jews were held captive during World War II. But also from a later time when NSB members and other collaborators were imprisoned.
The exhibition has been put together by the Groningen Institute for Archeology (GIA) under the direction of professor by special appointment Martijn Eickhoff (NIOD). Students helped select from the 19,000 objects.
“You want to do more than just add something. Archeology can build bridges. Between different painful histories, but it also brings history, heritage and memory together,” he explains. And that connection was literally visible during the excavations, says Abuys. “Then you really come across the layering of history.”