From the summer of 1942 until the autumn of 1944, more than 100 trains departed from Westerbork camp on a harrowing journey to concentration and extermination camps in Eastern and Central Europe. In total, nearly 107,000 Jews were deported via Westerbork to the east, along with 245 Sinti and Roma people and several dozen members of the resistance. Only around 5,000 people returned.

This cross-border cycling route tells the stories of suffering and hardship. The beautiful landscapes along the way stand in stark contrast to the deeply moving stories, reminding cyclists of the precious value of living in freedom.

The route presents this broad, cross-border history through a range of perspectives and themes. It tells not only the stories of those who were deported, but also of others encountered along the route whose lives were profoundly affected by the Nazi regime, including forced laborers, political opponents, evacuees, and resistance fighters.

Who were they? Where did they come from? Where were they taken? What did they experience? The route brings to life the personal stories of individuals such as Etty Hillesum, Jakob de Jonge, the Van Dam and Samuels families, the German journalist and pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, the notorious "Executioner of the Emsland" Willi Herold, and the German resistance fighter Cato Bontjes van Beek. Their stories make the impact of discrimination, exclusion, persecution, and violence tangible and deeply personal.