As part of the cooperation between Liberation Route Europe and Fletcher Hotels, we would like to introduce you to Fletcher Landgoed Hotel Avegoor, in Ellecom, Gelderland, Netherlands, a well-known estate which has a long history, including some dark moments during WWII. 

The story of Langoed Avegoor dates back to the 14th century; the estate was used for centuries by noble families for hunting due to its proximity to the nature reserve of the Veluwe. From 1941 to 1945, Langoed Avegoor was used as a Dutch SS school, providing paramilitary training and ideological education to Dutch volunteers. In order to expand the school, the forced labour of 139 Jew residents from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague was used. These prisoners lived in horrible conditions and the place became known as the Hell of Ellecom. Today, a Liberation Route Europe audiospot remembers those dark times.

After the battle of Arnhem, Avegoor was transformed into a hospital; following the liberation of the Netherlands and the end of WWII, it served as an internment camp for a few years. Since the 1990s, the estate has been transformed into a hotel. Established in 2016, Fletcher Landgoed Hotel Avegoor offers a traditional restaurant and relaxation area, close to Hoge Veluwe National Park and the city of Arnhem.