#Story
Houses requisitioned on Haitsma Mulierlaan
In the second half of 1944, the Germans began requisitioning more and more houses. The large homes on Nieuweweg and Haitsma Mulierlaan were particularly sought after. Residents were forced to vacate their homes within hours after which Wehrmacht authorities moved in.
Residents were forced to vacate their homes within hours after which Wehrmacht authorities moved in. Some belongings could be taken, but large items and heavy furniture had to be left behind for the German occupiers. An Evacuation Office was established at Haitsma Mulierlaan No. 4 to arrange alternative accommodation for those displaced. Often, this meant no more than a small bedsit or a modest cottage…
From an old letter:
“The misery of moving is immense,” writes a Lochem lady to a friend in Rhenen in early 1945. “Especially the formerly well-off are being evicted from their homes with no more than a few hours’ notice. Last week, for instance, a lady dragged a handcart loaded with household items from her villa through deep snow to a small bedsit above the Twente Bank. A nobleman was seen yesterday pushing a wheelbarrow full of potatoes, and the former managing director of the Rotterdam Bank, a very distinguished man, was pulling a handcart with belongings. He is now sitting in a tiny room on the H. Postelweg…”
Sperrgebiet
Marinus Naefflaan lay in the heart of the Sperrgebiet, a restricted area completely closed off by barriers. Dr Emil Schneider (house No. 36) lived here during the war. He was the Beauftragte for Gelderland and held this position until the end of the occupation. Schneider was a member of the NSDAP. Following the Allied Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Arnhem could no longer serve as the centre of provincial administration. In November 1944, the Beauftragte relocated his office to Lochem.