The Amersfoort concentration camp was a Nazi concentration camp in the city of Amersfoort (NL) that during the years 1941 to 1945, more than 35.000 prisoners were held here.
The camp was located in the southern part of Amersfoort, on the border between the city and Amersfoort Leusden in central Holland. It was officially called Polizeiliches Durchgangslager Amersfoort (Camp Amersfoort Traffic Police), better known as Kamp Amersfoort, is currently in the neighboring municipality of Leusden.
For the German government, Amersfoort was a police camp (Polizeiliches Durchgangslager Amersfoort). Not much information is recorded about the living conditions in this camp. What is known is that thousands of Dutch and Belgian civilians received harsh and cruel treatment at the hands of the Nazis and hundreds were executed in this camp.
In the early stages of the Nazi measures against the Jews Amersfoort people camp was also used to confine and then deport the Jews from Amersfoort. In 1941, eight hundred and twenty Jews lived in the city of Amersfoort. The municipality initially resisted the anti-Jewish measures, but could not prevent the elimination of the Jews from the economic and cultural life of Amersfoort.
On April 22, 1943 the majority of the Jewish population in the Amersfoort camp was transferred to the Vught concentration camp, another of the Nazi camps in the Netherlands. From there they were deported to Poland for extermination. After that date, the camp had about the identity of a known concentration camp.
Life was very hard and tortuous for the inmates. Many fugitives were shot by the SS. Many Dutch Jews joined the others in escape attempts. Most were shot by the SS, however some made their escape and joined the Resistance who were active in every Nazi occupied country.
At the time of liberation only four hundred and fifteen survivors were counted. Almost none of the survivors were Jews. In total, around 37.000 prisoners were registered at Amersfoort.