Colonies of Weldadigheid

The Dutch and Belgian Colonies of Weldadigheid had only one goal in the 19th century, to eradicate poverty. In doing so, they wanted to turn poor paupers into hard-working citizens. A total of seven colonies were founded in seven years: Frederiksoord (NL), Willemsoord (NL), Ommerschans (NL), Wilhelminaoord (NL), Veenhuizen (NL), Wortel (BE) and Merksplas (BE). In these places, thousands of poor people worked and lived who worked hard to stay on the right path and become a better person. The Colonies of Weldadigheid, including Veenhuizen, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.