on their way to

COLONIES OF UNESCO World Heritage

BENEVOLENCE status in 2018

The story of the Colonies of Benevolence

Colofon

This is a publication by the Stuurgroep

Koloniën van Weldadigheid op weg naar
Werelderfgoed 2018 (Colonies of
Benevolence on their way to World
Heritage status in 2018 Steering
Committee)

Source: OUV - research by

SteenhuisMeurs/Karvansera
Images:
Province of Drenthe digital archives
Text: Jan Paul Schutten
Design and production:
Zandbeek. The agency for engagement/
Province of Drenthe
Editor Programme office
Koloniën van Weldadigheid/
Colonies of Benevolence

For more information and contact:

www.kolonienvanweldadigheid.eu

1st edition September 2013

2nd edited edition January 2017

Copyright the province of Drenthe.

We collect our images with the utmost
care. If you believe that an image has
been used improperly, please contact us.
Colonies of Benevolence

T
he Koloniën van Weldadigheid or Colonies of Benevolence –
the name sounds like a kind of paradise in an old fairy tale.
However, in the Netherlands and Belgium these locations
really did exist. Their traces can still be seen over a
widespread area, in the landscape, the roads and the buildings.
There are invisible traces too, in the memories of many families.
But what are the Colonies of Benevolence? How important are they?
And why are they nominated for a place on the World Heritage
List? This brochure contains the results of a major research project
into the unique character of these colonies. It describes in detail
their dramatic history, how they developed, and the traces of this
anti-poverty initiative that was unlike any other in the world.

NL
I II III
Frederiksoord Wilhelminaoord/ Willemsoord
II VI
Boschoord/ III I
Oostvierdeparten IV

IV VI
Ommerschans Veenhuizen V
VII

BE
V VII
Wortel Merksplas

3
A major plan for fighting poverty

Early history
In 1818, things were not going well in the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
which at the time consisted of what is now the Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxembourg. In the preceding decades, the kingdom had fought – and lost
– several wars. Trade was nowhere near at the levels it used to be, and there
was widespread poverty, particularly in the cities. One person in three was
dependent on the help of others. But who helped them? In recent centuries,
it was the church that looked after the poor, but several years previously
the government had assumed the role. But now there were others at the
helm, and they simply left the poor to their fate. Because of the inadequate
levels of assistance, a group of people from more prosperous circles, under
the leadership of former army officer Johannes van den Bosch, set up
an organisation in order to combat poverty. They called themselves the
Maatschappij van Weldadigheid or the Society of Benevolence. Its patron
was Prince Frederik, the son of King Willem I.

A new opportunity
The Society quickly came up with an ambitious plan. After all, the numbers
of people living in poverty were considerable – orphans, the handicapped,
beggars, prostitutes, vagrants, and others. They were people whose welfare
cost money, who caused problems, and who were regarded as a public
nuisance. But what if these people were to be given a new chance? What
if they could learn to live normal and disciplined lives, earning an honest
living, by first working together on developing a piece of wild and barren
land, and then working there as farmers? It was a major initiative for the
time. But if it was a success, then society as a whole would only benefit.

Crowdfunding
Of course, such a major and ambitious plan required a big budget. The elite
could provide money, but not to an unlimited degree, so funds were raised

4
The Enlightenment:
the age of new thinking

F or centuries, God was regarded as being

responsible for everything. Disease, death and
poverty all lay in God’s hands. However, towards
the end of the seventeenth century, a new way of
thinking started to emerge. Thanks to Newton,
Linnaeus, Boerhaave and others, science had
made such major discoveries that people started to
gain an increasingly prominent role in influencing
the quality of life. Illnesses were easier to cure as
a result of science, while new inventions made life
more convenient. Moreover, man no longer tried to
fit in with his environment, but instead adapted his
environment to his own needs. God had given
people the ability to improve their own fate. It was
your duty to use those talents – that became the
prevailing view. It effectively meant that life could
be moulded. This period of history and way of
thinking subsequently came to be known as the
Enlightenment.

The plan of the Society of Benevolence was

entirely in keeping with this new way of thinking.
Without the Enlightenment, there would have been
no colonies. The colonies in turn attracted the
attention of the major European thinkers of the
time: the project was viewed with great interest by
other countries. Visitors to the colonies today can
envisage perfectly what life was like then, and gain
an idea of the way of thinking and how improve-
ments were made to society.

5
in a way that would not be out of place today – crowdfunding. People were
free to make a donation or become a member of the Society of Benevolence
for an annual fee. It was not just the wealthiest but also other layers of the
population who considered the idea such a good one that they were only
too willing to contribute. The plan also aroused the interest of thinkers,
policy-makers, and activists from various other countries. Books, pamph-
lets, magazines and other reports on the colonies appeared both inside
and outside the Netherlands. Most of these publications were very positive,
advocating the setting up of similar projects in their own countries.

Trial and error

The first colony, Frederiksoord, was built in 1818. It consisted of 52 farms
with 2.5 hectares of land, which first had to be completely developed.
Families were given their own homes with furniture and blankets, but meals
were served communally, from soup kitchens. Everything they received was
in the form of a loan, which they repaid through work. Men grew their own
crops on the land, and women spinned yarn. Carpenters, smiths, and others
with the skills that were needed came from the surrounding area. The
ultimate intention was that life in the colony would be fully self-sufficient.
Frederiksoord was quickly followed by other colonies in the Netherlands
and Belgium. Each new colony was slightly different, modified to address
the mistakes and experiences from the earlier settlements. The colonies
were therefore constantly developing. Through trial and error, each new
colony was adjusted to the times, modern requirements and other prevailing
circumstances.

Nobility of labour
Those who founded the colonies were not farmers; all their agricultural
knowledge came from books. The urban poor obviously had no agricultural
experience either. They were not used to working anymore, and many had
problems with alcohol. They therefore had to be kept on the straight and
narrow with strict discipline and a tightly controlled daily schedule. Work
was effectively a form of therapy, in other words. Compulsory attendance
at a place of worship was also part of the plan, although it did not
matter where – a Catholic or Protestant church, or a synagogue. However,
as these measures were not enough for ensuring that people did their very
best, a system of penalties and rewards was introduced.

6
What can be seen of the Colonies
of Benevolence today?

T he Colonies of Benevolence are more than just

memories. They have left various traces in the
landscapes and these landscapes now often differ
markedly from their surroundings. Examples
include:

- the dead-straight road layout that made it easier

to monitor the farms
- the idiosyncratic design of the institutions,
which was very different to the traditional styles
of the region
- churches, synagogues and burial grounds
- the farms and their related facilities
- the routes between the individual farms and the
other buildings
- the outer limits, such as canals around the
unfree colonies

7
 The significance of
the Colonies of
Benevolence today
T he Colonies of Benevolence are
unique in the world. Nowhere
was such a large-scale plan
implemented for tackling poverty
through agriculture in order to
improve people’s lives. It was not
just the plan that was large in
scale; the area covered by the
colonies themselves, at around
one eighty square kilometres, was
also unequalled. They have had an
enormous impact on the
landscape. They are therefore a
wonderful and tangible example of
people’s way of thinking in the
8
past two centuries, from the
Enlightenment to the present day.
The methods by which the poor
and socially undesirable had to be
reformed into fully-fledged
members of society can still be
seen everywhere. As a result, the
landscapes and the buildings are
of incalculable value, as are the
stories that lie behind them.
The colonies formed an experi-
ment that was performed by trial
and error. In spite of the good
intentions, they left painful
memories and black periods in the
histories of many families.
Nonetheless, the plan eventually
played an important part in
helping to bring about today’s
welfare provisions in Belgium and
the Netherlands, which rank
among the best in the world. In
addition, the way in which the
funds were raised still exists
today. The Society of Benevolence
was one of the first organisations
to be financed by crowdfunding.
All in all, the Colonies of
Benevolence form an impressive
example of attempts at creating a
better world with less poverty and
greater social equality,
emancipation and education. They
are a tangible monument of an
important part of our history.
The homes were built parallel to the roads in such a way that it was possible
to keep an eye on everyone. Anyone not doing their best would be penalised,
and those who worked hard would be rewarded – with a better job, for
example, a nicer home, or a medal. The ultimate aim was that the residents
would become regular participants in society.

Unfree colonies
As well as the free colonies for the poor, the Society also set up unfree
colonies for beggars and vagrants who did not wish to move to the country-
side of their own free will. Large settlements were built for them in
Ommerschans, Veenhuizen, and Merksplas. The residents in the northern
colonies were referred to as ‘the patients’, but to all intents and purposes
they were prisoners. They were housed in large institutions, which over
time just grew and grew. These colonies were run differently, and the
residents were constantly monitored by guards. The aim of the free colonies
was for the residents to return to society as good citizens, but there was
no such hope for those in the unfree colonies. Indeed, some of these settle-
ments were actually converted into official prisons in the twentieth century.

Life as a ‘colonist’
According to Johannes van den Bosch and his associates, people could be
‘moulded’. People from families without any prospects could be made into
good citizens who would make a useful contribution to society. They would
be helped by a combination of labour, religion, and education. Long before
education became compulsory for children in the rest of the Netherlands
and Belgium, the children in the colonies were attending school every day
from the age of six, and the best pupils were able to pursue their education
further. The adults, too, received education, which was mainly about
farming. They learned everything they needed to know to be able to function
independently in life. Another important pillar was that of discipline;
there were numerous rules and timetables, uniforms, and even a separate
monetary system.

Entirely self-sufficient
The residents were able to use the money they earned in the colony
shops, which stocked everything they needed. Still, life was not just all
about work – there was leisure time, too, which was often spent in the
communal areas.
9
 The colonies, in other words, were entirely self-sufficient. Food,
furniture and other household items, education, churches, medical
care and leisure opportunities – everything was on hand in an age when
many of these things were certainly not available for everyone. In this
context, the word ‘colony’ was very appropriate. Being literally new and
undeveloped territories in the middle of nowhere, they resembled other
historic colonies that were established down the years – on the one hand
by virtue of necessity, because the land was available, and on the other by
virtue of opportunity, because of the favourable remote location. After all,
the residents had nowhere else to go, and they were less easily tempted by
the need to acquire alcohol.

Success or failure?
Did the initiative work? Were the colonies a success? Not on every front,
certainly. The harvests in the first few decades in particular were very
disappointing, with too little being reaped in order to feed everyone. It was

12
 UNESCO World Heritage

T he colonies are on the way to

becoming World Heritage Sites,
something that is supported by the
Dutch and Belgian governments.
But what exactly is a World Heritage
Site? And what does it entail?
According to UNESCO, a World Heritage
Site is a place, area of natural beauty,
work of art or building that is
irreplaceable, unique, and considered
greatly worthy of keeping. Examples
include the site of the Battle of
Waterloo and the High Fens plateau in
Belgium, and the Amsterdam canal
ring, the Rietveld Schröder House in
Utrecht and the Wadden Sea in the
Netherlands. Other well-known
examples are the Acropolis in Athens,
the Great Wall of China, Easter Island
in Chile, Yellowstone Park in the
United States, and the city of Venice.
Being on the list of World Heritage
Sites does not result in any funding or
other financial benefits. Individual
countries are themselves obliged to
look after and maintain their own
sites and monuments. In certain
cases, an international emergency
fund is available that can be used in
exceptional circumstances. World
Heritage status can be granted on the
basis of various criteria. These can
range from a masterpiece by a creative
genius, an area of outstanding natural
beauty, to an example of a significant
development in the history of the
world. The World Heritage Committee
meets once a year to decide on new
nominations on the basis of reports it
has received.

eventually decided to cultivate wood rather than grain. At first, the workers
were paid according to how much work they carried out, but because
older colonists were not able to perform as much work as those who were
younger, this system was abolished. Penalties often played a larger part
in the colonies than did rewards. A police council enforced the penalties,
which often entailed transferring miscreants from a free colony to an
unfree one. There were other ways of punishing the residents, such as a
compulsory transfer to a farm where the conditions were not as good. The
number of people who genuinely succeeded in building an independent
existence for themselves, however, fell far short of expectations. And for
many of the residents, life in the colony was a real nightmare.

Success and failure

The colonists lived in close proximity to each other, which facilitated the
spread of infectious diseases. Every colony had its own doctors and medical
care (for which the colonists had to pay a contribution), but medical

13
 knowledge at that time left a great deal to be desired. In some cases, families
were split up, with all the dramatic consequences that that entailed. But the
most significant aspect was that only very few people actually managed to pay
off their debts and return to society. In many ways, then, the initiative was
a failure: for many families, the Colonies of Benevolence became a place of
despair, grief and shame. On the other hand, the Society of Benevolence did
succeed in drawing the attention of the government to many of the pressing
needs in society, thereby reminding it of its responsibilities. For example,
the colonies formed the basis for many laws and organisations that went
on to bring considerable improvements to the lives of society’s poorest, in
terms of their living conditions, education, healthcare and working lives.

The colonies today: places of remembrance

As the years passed, the colonies acquired an increasingly bad name.
The number of poor people causing problems was steadily declining, which
meant that the colonists who remained gained a particularly negative
reputation. Families were ashamed on account of their links with the
colonies. Former residents bore a stigma, preferring to keep silent about or
deny their time there. It was not until the end of the twentieth century that
this changed. The original shame lifted and made way for a sense of pride
among the families due to the social development they had experienced
over the years.

Nowadays, there are museums that show what life in the colonies was
like; examples include the prison museums in Merksplas and Veenhuizen.
There are also extensive archives detailing the often very tragic life stories
of the residents. But the story is best told by the locations themselves – the
buildings, the homes, the roads, and the canals. Visitors to the Colonies
of Benevolence experience a quest for hope, social equality and societal
improvement that spans two centuries. The straight roads and plain houses
exude a strong desire for order – order and hope. Hope for a better world
that did not materialise for everyone but which, two centuries later, has
been achieved.

14
Why do the colonies meet the criteria
for becoming a World Heritage Site?

T here are a total of ten criteria by which a claim for

World Heritage status may be honoured. The Colonies
of Benevolence meet three: criteria (iii), (v) and (vi).

(iii) to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a

cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which
has disappeared;

(v) be an outstanding example of a traditional human

settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of
a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the
environment especially when it has become vulnerable
under the impact of irreversible change;

(vi) be directly or tangibly associated with events or living

traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and
literary works of outstanding universal significance.

The colonies were a project for fighting poverty that was

in keeping with the ideas of the Enlightenment. It was the first-
ever attempt to tackle poverty on such a large scale using such
an innovative approach. The poor were offered the prospect of a
better life through land development
and continuous improvements in agricultural techniques.
The colonies were progressive in their social measures
and entirely self-sufficient, which was highly exceptional. They
demonstrate the belief in the possibility of reforming and
reshaping people and society alike. The large scale
of the project is unique in the world, as is the fact that
the methods used can be seen in the landscape and the
buildings to this day. They provide us with an unprecedented
glimpse of the social and economic history of northern Europe.

With their combination of norms, work, discipline, rewards and

education, the colonies represented the very beginnings of
modern ideas for improving living conditions and social
equality. This innovative model for caring for the poor is unique
in the world, and both the plans and their implementation
received considerable international interest.
The Society of Benevolence inspired other people and
organisations worldwide in this way, and indeed its work
was duplicated in certain areas.

15
The seven Colonies

II VI
III I
NL
IV

V
VII
I. Frederiksoord (1818)
The initiative was launched in the northern
Netherlands with the opening of the Frederiks-
BE
oord experimental colony in the province of
Drenthe in 1818. The offices of the Society of
Benevolence were established in Frederiksoord in
Huis Westerbeek, which still serves as the Society’s
headquarters to this day.

II. Wilhelminaoord/Boschoord/ III. Willemsoord (1820)

Oostvierdeparten (1818) Willemsoord dates from 1820. It was home to
The colonies at Wilhelminaoord, Boschoord many families of Jewish origin. The village is
and Oostvierdeparten, partly in Friesland, now part of the Steenwijkerland municipality
quickly followed the one at Frederiksoord, also in the province of Overijssel; almost 900 people
in the year 1818. Wilhelminaoord is in the live there.
Drenthe municipality of Westerveld, and
is now a village with a population of 800.
The actual homes of the colonists still exist.
16
IV. Ommerschans (1819)
The Ommerschans colony was established in
1819, and was the first unfree colony, intended
mostly for beggars. As a result, it is different to
the free colonies, with the residents housed in an
abandoned fort.
VI. Veenhuizen (1823)
In 1823, the second unfree colony in the
Netherlands was established in Veenhuizen.
Most of the people housed here were beggars,
vagrants and orphans. The settlement was built
on reclaimed peatland – completely from scratch,
in other words. The colony now serves as a penal
establishment; Veenhuizen is an open prison
village, with two prisons. There is also a prison
museum here.
V. Wortel (1822)
Wortel was the first colony to be built in the
southern Netherlands, in the province of
Antwerp. It was a free colony. The colonies in
Belgium differed from their Dutch counterparts
in several ways. For example, there was no bell
marking the different ‘periods’ of the day, there
was no freedom of religion, and the agricultural
methods used were more in keeping with local
customs.
VII. Merksplas (1825)
Merksplas was an unfree colony not far from
the one at Wortel. It was completed in 1825, and its
construction benefited from the knowledge and
experience gained from the earlier institutions.
Some of the original buildings now serve
as a penal institution and as a shelter for illegal
immigrants. Other parts can now be viewed as
a historic monument.
17
 on their way to
COLONIES OF UNESCO World Heritage
BENEVOLENCE status in 2018

www.kolonienvanweldadigheid.eu
Kolonienvanweldadigheid