
LEARN MORE ABOUT
#Sparjebird is now known as a very nice play forest, but it also has another history. During WW-II, there were two Dutch Labour Service (NAD) camps (the Dutch variant of the "Arbeitseinsats") in Hemrik: Wurksathe and Sparjebird (also known as Camp Hemrik Noord or Camp Christiaan de Wet). Sparjebird and Wurksathe existed before the war and were part of the work provision in the crisis years 30. After the invasion in 1940, the German occupiers took over the barracks camps for the Dutch Labour Service (NAD). Many young men from the big cities and the West volunteered at first. Gradually, employment became compulsory and the NSB gained more control over the camps. After the war, Sparjebird was fenced off with barbed wire and until 1951 it served as an internment camp for NSB members, collaborators, 'Kraut girls' and children of 'wrong' parents who had to be re-educated. After 1951, the barracks camps were cleared, and there was nothing left to see. Talks are now being held with the Forestry Commission to still make this history recognisable, for instance by means of a plaque and information column.
Now Sparjebird is a great fun place for families with children. Tip for next time. In the Sparjebird Play Forest, you can play with a water pump, climb over tree trunks and a rope bridge, among other things. There is a gnome trail and a Greppel Route. There are also wooden animals scattered in the forest, with each animal having a fun task. Too many to mention. You could spend several hours here.