Discover the story of the Belinfante family and the toy chest in the Küverbunker in Wijk aan Zee.
At Zwaanstraat in Wijk aan Zee, a reminder of the Jewish entrepreneurial Belinfante family still remains. Around 1900, Raphaël Belinfante lived here with his wife Emmy and their children Ernst and Lydia. Raphaël first gained work experience at the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam, working for his uncle. He later became manager of the former Badhotel on Zwaanstraat in Wijk aan Zee. This was a large enterprise, including a seaside bath, tram lines, and land ownership. He also worked for a company operating railway station restaurants, starting as an administrator and later becoming director.
In 1924, Raphaël became director of the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam. His son Ernst, now an adult, took over the Badhotel. However, the life of the Belinfante family changed drastically when the hotel and its annex had to make way for bunker construction. In 1940, Ernst moved with his wife Henriëtte and their children Ariane and Ralph to a house on Relweg.
The war brought a tragic end to this family. On 25 March 1942, Ernst, Henriëtte, and their children were arrested and later murdered in Auschwitz. Ralph and Emmy were also deported to Germany and gassed. Only Lydia survived the war and moved to America. After the war, she often returned to Wijk aan Zee.
The names of the Belinfante family are now inscribed on the memorial monument at Zwaanstraat, a silent witness to what was lost.
After the Belinfante family was arrested, the Meijer family bought the house on Relweg on 3 June 1942. In the home, they found toys that had been left behind by the Belinfante family. They decided to carefully preserve these items in the attic.
However, they were not able to stay in the house for long. In 1943, the Meijer family, like many other residents of Wijk aan Zee, had to evacuate due to the construction of the Atlantic Wall.
When they returned after the war, they found the house in poor condition. The Belinfante family’s toys, however, were still on the attic. Mary Meijer later donated the toys to the Vereniging Rondje Wijk aan Zee. In the Küverbunker, at the information panel and toy chest of the Belinfante family, visitors can now find a tangible reminder of this family’s life—its small everyday moments, and the larger story of loss and remembrance.
Disclaimer & source attribution: These stories were provided by participating locations and volunteers of Bunkerdag and are based on personal memories of those involved. They are subjective and may differ from historical facts or be experienced differently by others. No rights can be derived from this content.