Bernhard Hanskamp, former planner of the province of Drenthe, was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau this afternoon. He was presented with the decorations by Mayor Anno Wietze Hiemstra.
Hanskamp worked for ten administrative periods as a planner for the provincial government of Drenthe. He dealt with a wide range of topics, from water management to environmental policy and from land consolidation to soil protection.
Hanskamp has researched and documented the development and dynamics of the landscape, including in two books. In 2019, he received the Harry de Vroome medal from the Drentse Landschap Foundation for, among other things, his services in the field of spatial planning in Drenthe.
A far-reaching chapter in Hanskamp’s life began on the early morning of March 13, 1978. He was among the employees who were taken hostage by three Moluccan activists in the provincial government building in Assen.
In the years that followed, Hanskamp tried to build a bridge between the Dutch and Moluccan communities. He took the initiative, among other things, to urge the Board of Provincial Executive to continue to commemorate this meeting. He also wrote a book about the events.