Voor kinderen
There is a small group of burial mounds on the heathlands of Bergsham near the village of Garderen dating from the Bronze Age (2000-800 BC). The tribe that lived here chose this noticeably high ground for burying its dead. According to folklore, this place has been haunted by ghosts and heathen gods for centuries.
Bergsham and Wilde Kamp
The Veluwe region is the only area of the Netherlands that is still rich in archaeological remains. This is because the countryside here has never really been cultivated. Bergsham is part of this uncultivated nature reserve and was once one of the most beautiful vantage points in the north of the Veluwe. That is before it became woodland. When the weather was clear, you could see all the way to the Zuiderzee (IJsselmeer Lake). In fact, the old church tower in Garderen was once a beacon for ships on the Zuiderzee. The groups of burial mounds near Bergsham and Wilde Kamp, another section of the modern-day national park, are also located on high ground. The heights of the mounds reflect the status of the people that were buried in them.
Ghosts and gallows
The area surrounding the burial mounds are often associated with ghost stories about the Germanic gods who were once worshiped here. Gallows have also stood on the highest mound, which can be seen from the road near Bergsham, for centuries, and it is said that: ‘some nights the place is haunted and when the moon is shining in just the right fashion, you can see the silhouettes of the people who were hanged here.’
A thingstead (Dutch: ding)
It was claimed at the end of the 19th century, that evidence had been found in the nearby undergrowth of an ancient Germanic meeting place, which would have been used by a governing assembly in Germanic societies, a bit like a modern-day court or parliament. In Old English, this kind of meeting place was called a thingstead, and in Dutch, a ding. The term still lives on in the English word husting, meaning an event such as a debate or speeches during an election campaign, and in the Dutch word geding, meaning proceeding or lawsuit. In fact, the Dutch still use the word today, to mean bringing something into discussion, which translates as: in het geding brengen.
It is interesting facts like this that make the area around Bergsham a fascinating place for (pre)historic tales combined with thrilling (ghost)stories…
