Departure and removal
The fire of 1958, in which 3 barracks completely went up in flames and a fourth one became uninhabitable, had profound implications. Many families had to leave the residential settlement. It would be the start of a larger exodus.
For the Dutch government, it was already clear that a return to the Moluccas was an illusion, and that the Moluccans had to integrate into Dutch society. Although the promise was made that the residents could stay in Schattenberg – and that new barracks would even be added – the government decided to eventually get rid of the settlement in the late 1950s. Despite resistance, the residence ended up having to make peace with the new situation, sometimes also knowing that there would be the benefits of better housing and education possibilities for the children.
In 1964 and the following year, the largest part of the community settled in a residential neighbourhood in Assen especially built for them. The final residents would be forced out of the residential settlement and moved to Bovensmilde. Soon after, the final barracks were demolished and hardly anything visible remained of residential settlement Schattenberg/camp Westerbork.