The Mayor Tjalmapark in Hoogeveen will be called Raadhuispark from Tuesday.
The choice was made through a survey. 55 percent of the votes went to the name Raadhuispark. The other three names were Park Dalwijk (13 percent), Park 40-45 (18 percent) and Connection Park (13 percent). 750 votes have been cast.
Questionable role
The park was named after former mayor Jetze Tjalma. He was mayor of Hoogeveen from 1927 to 1958. In 1963 he was made an honorary citizen. A few years ago, the need arose to investigate its role during the Second World War. That investigation by the NIOD, the institute for war studies, showed that Tjalma had played a dubious role.
According to the investigation, he had supplied the German occupier with a list of residents for employment at Havelte airport. An assignment that the mayor, after refusal of the municipal staff, eventually carried out himself. The mayor is also said to have always complied with requests from the Germans to provide data on Jewish residents.
As a result of the investigation, the city council stripped former mayor Tjalma of his honorary citizenship and removed him as the name giver of the park.