azc Albergen (Gravendijk)
Albergen, in the municipality of Tubbergen, became the most talked-about asylum centre in the Netherlands after the government in 2022 imposed it on the village against the council's wishes, the only time the so-called 'AZC compulsion' was used. The plan to convert the former hotel 't Elshuys at the Gravendijk triggered two years of fierce opposition, including an arson attack, a shooting incident and a tractor protest, and a man who fitted a GPS tracker to the mayor's car was jailed. The centre finally opened on 30 September 2024 with around 50 residents and a reduced cap of 150; in 2025 the National Ombudsman found Tubbergen had handled residents' complaints improperly.
Occupancy
146
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€80
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€4.3m
estimated
Background
The site sits at Gravendijk, Albergen. It is run by the COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers), the Dutch government’s asylum-reception agency. For what the azc / noodopvang categories mean and how Dutch reception spending breaks down, open the cost panel on the interactive map with the Netherlands selected in Settings.
In the news
Sep 2024
Contested Albergen asylum centre opens its doors after two years
NOS reported the centre opening with about 50 residents and a 150-person cap, after years of protests, arson and a shooting.
NOS · source
2025
Ombudsman: municipality acted improperly over AZC Albergen complaints
The National Ombudsman concluded Tubbergen failed to listen to and handle residents' complaints adequately.
Nationale Ombudsman · source
Compiled from public Dutch news reports (each item links to its source). Where a municipality runs more than one reception location, attribution to this specific address reflects the cited report and may be approximate — always check the linked source.
Timeline
Aug 2022
AZC imposed on Tubbergen against its will
The government used its 'AZC compulsion' for the only time in the country, ordering a centre at the Gravendijk.
Sep 2024
Contested AZC opens after two years
The centre opened with around 50 residents and a reduced maximum of 150, following arson, a shooting and sustained protests.
2025
Ombudsman criticises municipality
The National Ombudsman found Tubbergen handled complaints about the AZC's arrival improperly.
Cost
Dutch asylum reception is funded by central government through the COA. At an illustrative benchmark of about €80 per person per night for a regular centre, the 146 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €4.3m per year. This is an order-of-magnitude figure for context only, not a site-specific invoice — emergency reception typically runs around three times the cost of a regular centre.
Sources
COA / Rijksoverheid (Kamerstuk, 5 Sep 2025) · 2025-08-13. View source
Occupancy is the COA register snapshot of 13 August 2025 and may have changed since. Coordinates were geocoded from the published street address via the official PDOK Locatieserver.