#Landmark

Church Resistance in Mariënberg

In Mariënberg, the resistance was partly organized from the local Reformed Church. The minister and the sexton took an active part in illegal activities, including helping people in hiding and assisting downed Allied pilots.

In the Mariënberg congregation, Reverend Pieter Hendrik Wolfert (1902–1945) had been the minister since 1933. From the start of the war, Wolfert opposed the German occupier, both in his sermons and in his actions. For example, he worked to help people in hiding. In November 1942, this led to him having to go into hiding himself, and under the name A. Brandsma, he left for the western Netherlands. In the summer of 1944, Wolfert returned to continue both his resistance work and his duties as minister.

The caretaker of the Reformed Church, Harm de Lange (1922–1945), also played a role in the local resistance. He was involved with the Council of Resistance and created hiding places inside the church building for people in hiding.

Just before the liberation, a sabotage mission by the resistance group went wrong. On the night of 25 to 26 March 1945, the group sabotaged bridges and a railway to disrupt the escape routes of German soldiers. This led to a firefight in which De Lange was fatally wounded. Later that Monday, 26 March, several suspects were arrested, including Wolfert. A few days later, on 29 March 1945, he was executed by the side of the road between Almelo and Wierden.

Stationsweg, 7692 AC Marienberg

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