Fochteloo () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

with around 400 inhabitants in the municipality of

Ooststellingwerf Ooststellingwerf (; Stellingwarfs: ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It is one of the municipalities of Friesland where Stellingwarfs dialect, Stellingwerfs, a dialect o ...

in southeastern

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1408 as Fyochtelo, and probably means moist forest. The church was demolished in 1832, but the bell tower with two bells has remained. From 1908 until 2008, there was a chapel in the dairy factory. In 1840, Fochteloo was home to 163 people. In 1942, Camp Ybenheer was established as a Jewish forced labour camp. On

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

1942 (2–3 October), all 215 labourers were moved to

Westerbork transit camp Camp Westerbork (, , Drents: ''Börker Kamp; Kamp Westerbörk''), also known as Westerbork transit camp, was a Nazi transit camp in the province of Drenthe in the Northeastern Netherlands, during World War II. It was located in the municipality ...

from where they were transported to

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

and

Sobibor Sobibor ( ; ) was an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany as part of Operation Reinhard. It was located in the forest near the village of Żłobek Duży in the General Government region of Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), ...

. After the war, the camp was used for South Moluccan refugees. In 2002, a memorial was placed at the former camp grounds.

Geography

There is a nature reserve located between Fochteloo and Veenhuizen, called .

References

Gallery

Klokkenstoel Fochteloo 08C.JPG, Bell tower of Fochteloo File:Voor- en zijgevel - Fochteloo - 20458426 - RCE.jpg, Farm in Fochteloo

External links

* Geography of Ooststellingwerf Populated places in Friesland {{Friesland-geo-stub