“De Wieringermeer is proud that Mansholt lived and worked here. Everyone in my area thinks it is sad that the farm is now being demolished. And then it goes to Microsoft …”, says Rein Koolen. He has been studying the Wieringermeer history for years. He himself was an arable farmer and is a fan of Mansholt’s work.
“He indicated at a later age to have regretted his work, of the scaling up. He thought he had gone too far. I disagree. That also happened outside of his intention. When he wanted as a commissioner Sending large protests.
The first hour resistance
Sicco Mansholt is certainly also a local resistance hero. On his farm there were people in hiding and weapons were collected that had been dropped by aircraft by the Allies in West Friesland. From there the weapons went to Zaandam and Amsterdam. “He had a manager who ran the farm so he could move freely while the work continued. That was necessary for his resistance work, to be able to organize but also for hiding,” says Rein Koolen.