Dutch term – Gaarkeuken

A gaarkeuken is a soup kitchen, a place where poor people could go to be fed. Gaarkeukens are best known from World War II, when the watery soup they supplied was the only food for many people in the west of the country. The Hunger Winter of 1944/1945 had left people desparately hungry. Soup kitchens remained in use for a while after the liberation, until people were able to take care of themselves again. Nowadays, the word gaarkeuken is no longer in use, but there are voedelbanken (food … [Read more...]

Dutch term – Staking

A staking is a strike. Local strikes have been documented since the sixteenth century. Strikes became more common in the twentieth century, when workers were becoming organized. Major strikes include: 1902: Textile strike in Twente (eastern part of Overijssel) 1903: Railway strike 1941: February strike in protest to start of deportation of the Jews by the German occupiers … [Read more...]