azc Sneek (Jancko Douwamastraat)
A severe fire broke out in a housing unit of the Sneek asylum centre on the Jancko Douwamastraat on 29 December 2021, injuring five people and forcing the evacuation of neighbouring units; a 38-year-old resident was arrested and prosecutors later demanded a three-year prison term for arson after he set his mattress alight. The site has seen further violence since: in May 2025 two people from Sneek, a 34-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman, were arrested after a stabbing during a conflict at the centre.
Occupancy
666
people (Aug 2025)
Per night
€80
per person (benchmark)
Annual
€19m
estimated
Background
The site sits at Jancko Douwamastraat, Sneek. 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
Dec 2021
Fire at Sneek asylum centre: five injured, one arrested
Five people were hurt and a housing unit destroyed in a severe fire at the azc on the Jancko Douwamastraat; two suffered cuts from broken glass and three inhaled smoke. A 38-year-old resident was arrested on suspicion of arson.
NOS · source
Mar 2022
Three years demanded for arson at azc Sneek
The prosecution demanded a three-year prison sentence against the 38-year-old resident for deliberately setting the 29 December 2021 fire, which injured five people and endangered around 100 occupants.
Openbaar Ministerie · source
May 2025
Two arrests after stabbing in Sneek
A 34-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman, both from Sneek, were arrested after a stabbing during a conflict on the Jancko Douwamastraat, where the asylum centre is located.
Politie.nl · 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
Dec 2021
Arson fire injures five at azc
Resident set his mattress alight; five injured, a unit destroyed, 38-year-old arrested.
Mar 2022
Three years demanded for azc arson
Prosecutors sought a three-year sentence, warning the blaze could have been fatal for around 100 occupants.
May 2025
Two arrested after stabbing at azc
A 34-year-old man and 37-year-old woman from Sneek detained after a stabbing during a conflict.
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 666 people recorded here on 13 August 2025 imply roughly €19m 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.