Vluchtoord

During the First World War there were lots of Belgian refugees in the Netherlands. In the town of Uden, a refuge called Vluchtoord was created. (“Vluchtoord” loosely translates as “refuge.”) A complete village of temporary housing, schools, a church,  and a hospital was built in a matter of weeks. In total about 10,000 Belgian refugees lived here. They also took with them their hobbies and made a cycling track, the remnants of which are  still visible in the woods. You can easily walk the total length of the track. and the nearby woods have nice walks. On the site there are several informational signs with highlight the history of the site and the refuge. Fun fact: The refuge was the first in the region to have electric power. Which annoyed the residents of Uden, who had to wait a few more years before they got electrical power. At the end of the war, the refugees returned and in a few weeks the site was emptied out. No original buildings (except the generator building) were left standing. The generator building is now in use as a theater. And the name Vluchtoord lives on as the name of an industrial zone nearby.