Youth programme recorded at Westerveld

In late February, recordings were made at Westerveld Cemetery & Crematorium – part of ‘the Facultatieve Group’ – for the NPS youth television programme Onze Schatten (“Our Treasures”). This programme follows three young people as they discover monuments (historically important buildings, establishments, etc.) and ask an expert lots of questions. The fact that Onze Schatten visited Westerveld Crematorium – the first crematorium in the Netherlands (1913) and a national monument – was therefore not really that surprising. During recording, Henry Keizer, president of ‘the Facultatieve Group’, gave the young people a tour round the monumental auditoriums, the cremation area and the unique built-in columbarium that contains the ashes of Dr C.J. Vaillant – the first person in the Netherlands to be cremated. The episode is due to be broadcast in May 2010. Its unique historical and cultural character, its charming location and the almost un-Dutch atmosphere of its grounds means Westerveld has often been used over the years as a site for television and film recordings. Numerous TV producers and film-makers have chosen, and continue to choose, Westerveld as the location for their programmes, series, documentaries and features films. See www.bc-westerveld.nl/voor-het-voetlicht.