Borculo marks 100 years since deadly tornado killed 3, left thousands homeless

A century ago today, a powerful tornado struck Borculo, causing widespread destruction, killing three people, injuring eighty, and leaving around two thousand residents homeless, NOS reported.

The event, locally known as the “Cyclone of Borculo,” was commemorated with a memorial service attended by over 300 people at the Joriskerk, including two great-great-grandchildren of then-mayor Robert de Muralt, whose great-grandson unveiled a sundial on the church tower to replace the original one ripped off by the storm.

Although the disaster is popularly called a cyclone, meteorologists clarify that tornadoes—not cyclones—caused the damage. The storm swept through parts of Noord-Brabant, Gelderland, and Twente on that afternoon and early evening, featuring a series of severe thunderstorms accompanied by multiple tornadoes.

Roosmarijn Knol, meteorologist at NOS, explained that tornadoes are twisting columns of air—sometimes described as “funnels” or “corkscrews”—that form under thunderclouds. “They cannot exist without a thunderstorm,” she said.

While tornadoes and waterspouts occasionally occur in the Netherlands, the scale of damage in Borculo was extraordinary. “The unique extent of destruction likely resulted from the tornado’s strength and speed combined with its path directly over populated areas. Buildings in 1925 were also less resilient than today,” Knol said.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing ominous, swirling clouds approaching Borculo around 7 p.m., as trees snapped and rooftops were torn away. The tornado lasted no longer than eight minutes but left the town in ruins.

The disaster prompted swift national relief efforts. Historian Peter Nieuwenhuis, who estimated 300 people attended the memorial service, noted the importance of the response. “This was the first nationwide fundraising campaign in the Netherlands, essentially the blueprint for today’s Giro 555,” he told NOS.

The campaign raised three million guilders, an immense sum at the time. It led to the creation of the National Disaster Fund ten years later, which eventually evolved into Giro 555, a key platform for coordinated disaster relief.

The event attracted widespread media attention, with international newspapers covering the devastation and printing photographs—a rare occurrence in that era.

Nieuwenhuis highlighted the role of Mayor De Muralt, who sought government aid and publicized the disaster extensively. The day after the tornado, Queen Wilhelmina and her 16-year-old daughter Juliana visited Borculo.

In the weeks following the storm, more than half a million “disaster tourists” visited the region. A special film documenting the damage was also made.

Nieuwenhuis said the storm remains deeply embedded in Borculo’s collective memory. “I still give guest lectures about it in schools. The town has a dedicated Storm Disaster Museum, several published books, and a public artwork commemorating the event,” he told NOS.