The hide-out in the Valtherbos

During the Second World War the woods in Drenthe were regularly used to conceal shelters for fugitives in hiding. Many were primitive, sometimes consisting only of a hole in the ground covered with wood or vegetation, and many of these have been reclaimed by nature. The hiding place in the Valtherbosch near Valthe has become famous, and a monument was placed here in the 1980’s as a memorial.

The picture shows one of the two shelters

Albertus Zefat

Late in the year 1942 Albertus Zefat, owner of a poultry farm in Valthe, began to hide a few Jewish people in the chicken shed behind his house. As this was too conspicuous, in the autumn of 1942 a hole was excavated in the Valtherbosch as a hideout. In 1943 the hole was discovered accidentally, but without serious consequences, although another hole was then dug some distance away in its present location. Zefat himself was shot dead in July 1944 when he refused to reveal the location of the Jewish fugitives.

Liberation

Other villagers continued to look after the Jews hiding in the woods. They survived the occupation and, when liberation came, around 20 people were found here, Jews and others. A memorial stands near the entrance.

The hide-out in an old photograph, with the commemorative plaque on the left

Access

The hide-out is only a short walk away from the parking place on the Melkweg, between Klijndijk and Valthe. Also the scenic walk ‘Onderduikershol‘ takes you along this site.