20 Points Uden Refugee Camp

Vluchtoord Uden was one of several internment camps established in the Netherlands to house Belgian refugees who flooded across the border after the German invasion of August 1914. At its peak the camp held tens of thousands of civilians. Internal camp scrip was a practical necessity — the Dutch authorities needed to control purchasing within the camp and prevent Dutch currency from circulating among a transient population that might depart en masse at any point.

The "Uden" designation on these notes refers to both issuer and place of printing, which was unusual — most comparable camp issues relied on municipal or government printers elsewhere. These circulated in a closed economy that ceased to exist the moment the war ended.