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Putten is a municipality and a town in the middle Netherlands.
Putten is surrounded by a great variety of landscapes. To the east of Putten lies the Veluwe, the greatest national park of the Netherlands. To the north, east and west Putten is surrounded by farmlands, and further to the west the ring-lake around Flevoland can be found.
Population centres
Bijsteren, Diermen, Gerven, Halvinkhuizen, Hell, Hoef, Huinen, Koudhoorn, Krachtighuizen, Putten, Steenenkamer and Veenhuizerveld.
The town of Putten
One of the biggest nazi raids to be held in the Netherlands during World War II took place in Putten. On October 1 and October 2, 1944 661 men and boys, the majority of the male population, were deported from the town and 602 of them were sent to work in concentration camps such as Neuengamme and Birkenau. Only 49 returned after the war. This war crime was the most serious one commited by the German Wehrmacht in the Netherlands. Eventually, only two of the responsible officers were tried and convicted for the crime. Surviving wehrmacht soldiers are typically unapologetic about the affair, denying responsibility and blaming the SS (which was involved in a supporting role). The raids where a retaliatory measure for an attack by the local resistance, that eliminated one Wehrmacht officer near Nijkerk. The first and second of October are still commemorated every year.
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