Guided tour of Onderduikerskamp Dennenlust Lierop (camp for people in hiding) by Gerard Geboers

The former hiding camp Dennenlust has been rebuilt in the Moorsel area in Lierop. The forest is quiet; it feels just like any other forest. Still, there is one significant difference: more than thirty people lived in hiding here seventy-five years ago. The Dennenlust hiding camp was built in 1943 to house students from The Hague who were wanted by the Germans during World War II. 

At the site were the hiding camp once stood, Gerard Geboers and seven members of the Heemkundekring De Vonder set to work. They marked the different rooms of the house at the former hiding camp with wooden stakes. The kitchen is immediately recognisable by the stone oven. Underneath you will find the concrete floor found during excavation, the pride of Gerard Geboers. The house was recreated based on a floor plan provided by one of the persons in hiding. The house had two bedrooms, one on the ground floor and one on the second floor. Both rooms had eight double beds. When more than forty people ended up in hiding in the house, things became a little cramped. They even set up sleep schedules. You will also see the former chapel, prison, running track, sports field, watchtowers and even a rabbit hutch marked out in the area. The original building was sadly lost in a fire soon after the Netherlands was liberated. These places are marked out with wood and sand to maintain a natural look in the forest. 

The tour at the hiding camp does not end in the woods. You will also visit the Berkers family farm in Lierop. This is where the people in hiding went to get their clean laundry, bread and drinks, these things were laid out in the chicken coop and picked up by the people in hiding at night. 

If you are interested in this tour, you can sign up for the following dates:
*Wednesday 21 July                         
*Wednesday 28 July
*Wednesday  4 August             
*Wednesday 11 August 

The tour starts at 11 a.m. and finishes at 1 p.m. The point of departure is always Pastoorke van Moorsel, located at Moorsel 1 in Lierop. The price for the tour is €3 per person, and the maximum group size is 20 persons. 
Group tours can be arranged on request at a cost of €50, and here, too, a maximum group size of 20 people applies. More information is available at the Asten Tourist Office.