#Story
NSB Leader Mussert in Almelo
During the Second World War, Landhuis De Bellinckhof in Almelo played a remarkable role. In the years 1944–1945, both members of the Dutch National Socialist Movement (NSB) and Canadian officers were housed in this manor.
On Dolle Dinsdag (“Mad Tuesday”), September 5, 1944, panic broke out among German soldiers and NSB members. Many believed liberation was imminent and fled toward Germany and the eastern Netherlands. Several NSB party leaders relocated to the east of the country, among them party leader Anton Mussert. He moved with his wife Maria from Utrecht to Almelo, settling in De Bellinckhof, a manor that until then had belonged to the textile family Ten Cate.
Mussert officially remained registered there until April 2, 1945—though his wife was present more often than he was. For security reasons, he frequently changed locations. After the liberation of Almelo on April 4, 1945, the property’s furnishings were seized by the Dutch state. The manor was then used for some time by Canadian officers, who left behind some damage.