Cycle route past hostage camps Sint-Michielsgestel and Haaren
Vught, Sint-Michielsgestel, Haaren
Camp Vught is known to most people. Less known is that before Camp Vught came into use in January 1943, two other camps already existed south of Den Bosch: camp Sint-Michielsgestel and camp Haaren. The two camps are only ten kilometres apart as the crow flies and have a special history. In both camps hundreds of Dutch men were held hostage by the German occupiers. The hostages were not chosen at random. These men were the elite of the Netherlands. They all held important positions as politicians, professors, clergy, musicians, lawyers or writers. The Germans considered this elite group a form of collateral. As long as the Dutch population behaved, nothing would happen to them. But if rebellion or resistance arose, the Germans would carry out reprisals and execute hostages. The first group of 460 well-known Dutchmen was arrested on 4 May 1942 and held hostage for years in the Kleinseminarie Beekvliet in Sint-Michielsgestel. Among them were Willem Banning, Jan Donner and Frans Wijffels. A second group of 600 influential Dutchmen followed two months later and was imprisoned and held hostage in the Grootseminarie Haarendael, which had already been in use as Camp Haaren since September 1941. In both so-called internment camps, the hostages got to know each other well. A strong sense of solidarity developed, which was later referred to as the ‘spirit of Gestel’. Partly as a result of the discussions held among the hostages in Sint-Michielsgestel, the PvdA was founded shortly after the war. This cycle route takes you past both hostage camps as well as past concentration camp Vught.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
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Start: Oisterwijksedreef , 5076 TC Oisterwijk | 43.6 KM | |
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From
1
to
81
|
1361 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head west on Oisterwijksedreef | 142 M | ||
| Turn right | 43 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Pastoor Jansenstraat | 469 M | ||
| Turn left onto Eind | 213 M | ||
| Turn right onto Roonsestraat | 494 M | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
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From
81
to
80
|
1019 M | 1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Broederspaadje | 770 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kerkstraat | 117 M | ||
| Turn right onto Monseigneur Bekkersplein; Mgr Bekkersplein | 61 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Monseigneur Bekkersplein; Mgr Bekkersplein | 71 M | ||
| You are now at section 80 | 0 M | ||
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From
80
to
79
|
1835 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head south on Kerkstraat | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Kerkeind | 55 M | ||
| Turn right onto Köppenstraat | 404 M | ||
| You are now at section 79 | 0 M | ||
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From
79
to
96
|
3519 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head northwest on Hogeweg | 520 M | ||
| Turn right onto Holstraat | 437 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Holstraat | 740 M | ||
| Turn right onto Heusdensebaan | 76 M | ||
| Turn left onto Rijksweg | 15 M | ||
| Turn right onto Heusdensebaan | 169 M | ||
| Turn right onto Heideweg | 849 M | ||
| Turn left | 713 M | ||
| You are now at section 96 | 0 M | ||
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From
96
to
77
|
1607 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northeast on Hooghoutseweg | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 77 | 0 M | ||
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From
77
to
78
|
2706 M | 2.7 KM | |
| Head east on De Gijzel | 1.9 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Sint Jorisstraat | 54 M | ||
| Turn right onto Lindelaan | 362 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Kastanjelaan | 347 M | ||
| You are now at section 78 | 0 M | ||
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From
78
to
83
|
1735 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Torenstraat | 297 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Helvoirtsestraat | 155 M | ||
| Continue straight | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 83 | 0 M | ||
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From
83
to
27
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1421 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head east on Loonse Baan | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
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From
27
to
32
|
722 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Loverensestraat | 91 M | ||
| Turn right onto Baden Powellpad | 386 M | ||
| Turn right onto Scheepenstraat | 245 M | ||
| You are now at section 32 | 0 M | ||
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From
32
to
60
|
1518 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head south | 163 M | ||
| Continue onto Pepereind | 68 M | ||
| Turn right onto Cromvoirtse Putten | 328 M | ||
| Turn left | 862 M | ||
| Turn right | 59 M | ||
| Turn left | 20 M | ||
| Turn left | 18 M | ||
| You are now at section 60 | 0 M | ||
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From
60
to
63
|
823 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head northeast on Lunettenlaan | 823 M | ||
| You are now at section 63 | 0 M | ||
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From
63
to
24
|
718 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head north on Lunettenlaan | 330 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Lunettenpad | 35 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lunettenpad | 141 M | ||
| Keep left onto Lunettenpad | 207 M | ||
| Continue straight | 5 M | ||
| You are now at section 24 | 0 M | ||
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From
24
to
22
|
1924 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head east | 1.9 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto Kanaalweg | 15 M | ||
| You are now at section 22 | 0 M | ||
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From
22
to
23
|
194 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Kampdijkbrug | 194 M | ||
| You are now at section 23 | 0 M | ||
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From
23
to
14
|
1141 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Kampdijklaan | 5 M | ||
| Turn left | 14 M | ||
| Turn left | 18 M | ||
| Turn left onto Juliana van Stolberglaan | 15 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kampdijklaan | 448 M | ||
| Turn left onto Willem III-Laan | 25 M | ||
| Turn right onto Loonsebaan | 112 M | ||
| Turn right onto Isabellastraat | 10 M | ||
| Turn right onto Loonsebaan | 19 M | ||
| Turn left onto Molenvenseweg | 14 M | ||
| Turn left onto Loonsebaan | 130 M | ||
| Turn right onto Victorialaan | 187 M | ||
| Turn left onto Mariaplein | 55 M | ||
| Turn left onto Deken van Oss-straat | 89 M | ||
| You are now at section 14 | 0 M | ||
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From
14
to
63
|
777 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head northeast on Deken van Oss-straat | 6 M | ||
| Continue onto Paardensteeg | 771 M | ||
| You are now at section 63 | 0 M | ||
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From
63
to
64
|
2450 M | 2.5 KM | |
| Head south on Sterrebosweg | 2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Haanwijk | 438 M | ||
| You are now at section 64 | 0 M | ||
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From
64
to
21
|
805 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head east on Haanwijk | 805 M | ||
| You are now at section 21 | 0 M | ||
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From
21
to
76
|
1572 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head southeast | 652 M | ||
| Continue onto Mudakkersedijk | 847 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ruwenbergstraat | 73 M | ||
| You are now at section 76 | 0 M | ||
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From
76
to
73
|
1444 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head south on Ruwenbergstraat | 419 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Nieuwstraat | 899 M | ||
| Continue onto Petrus Dondersplein | 126 M | ||
| You are now at section 73 | 0 M | ||
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From
73
to
75
|
1181 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Schijndelseweg | 200 M | ||
| Turn left onto Torenstraat | 130 M | ||
| Turn right onto Esscheweg | 851 M | ||
| You are now at section 75 | 0 M | ||
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From
75
to
65
|
1059 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Eikenlaan | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 65 | 0 M | ||
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From
65
to
37
|
1728 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head southwest on Schuilenburg | 565 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 748 M | ||
| Turn right onto Tolpad | 415 M | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
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From
37
to
67
|
3893 M | 3.9 KM | |
| Head south on Hal | 645 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Hal | 1.5 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Esscheweg | 725 M | ||
| Turn right onto Gestelseweg | 142 M | ||
| Turn left onto Heikant | 892 M | ||
| You are now at section 67 | 0 M | ||
|
From
67
to
66
|
1088 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head northwest on Smaldijkje | 655 M | ||
| Turn left onto De Venakker | 131 M | ||
| Turn right onto Groenweg | 233 M | ||
| Turn left onto Dorpsstraat | 69 M | ||
| You are now at section 66 | 0 M | ||
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From
66
to
29
|
684 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head north on Marktplein | 68 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Haarenseweg | 563 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 53 M | ||
| You are now at section 29 | 0 M | ||
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From
29
to
2
|
2159 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head southwest | 18 M | ||
| Turn left | 27 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Haarenseweg | 50 M | ||
| Turn left onto De Ruiting | 2.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 02 | 0 M | ||
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From
2
to
1
|
2479 M | 2.5 KM | |
| Head south on Belversestraat | 2.4 KM | ||
| Continue straight | 80 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oisterwijksedreef | 27 M | ||
| You are now at section 01 | 0 M |