The World War II remembrance centre at Kamp Westerbork in Drenthe is asking for extra financial help from the government because of rising staff and energy costs, and a cut in subsidies.

Some 100,000 Jews and 250 Sinti and Roma spent time at Kamp Westerbork, which was a transit stop for people being taken to the Nazi death camps. Anne Frank and her family were sent to Westerbork on August 4, 1944 after their hiding place in Amsterdam was found.

Director Bertien Minco, who is handing over a petition to the government on Tuesday, said the centre has no financial buffer to cope with unforeseen expenses despite rising visitor numbers. Some 130,000 people visited the centre last year.

Minco said the main problems have been rising staff and energy costs. “All costs have gone up enormously and the subsidies we are receiving do not cover them,” he told broadcaster NOS. The building is also in need of maintenance, he said.

On top of the rising costs, Minco is afraid the VAT hike for the cultural sector from 9% to 21% will discourage ticket sales. The centre also stands to lose 15% of its subsidies. “It all adds up to a quarter of our income that we will be missing out on. It’s not sustainable,” he said.

Minco said that Westerbork gets just 10% of what museums in the area or the Jewish cultural institutions in Amsterdam are receiving in subsidies.

Some 35,000 schoolchildren visit Westerbork every year, the cost of which is carried largely by the centre itself.

Minco says the lack of funds has meant schools cannot visit because the centre cannot afford the extra staff needed. That is taking away from the centre’s educational role, Minco said.

The centre is hoping for a structural contribution as well as a one-off subsidy for a renovation of the building to make it future-proof.