Celebrating freedom with a dance

Celebrating freedom with a dance, but also with an impressive visit to the Canadian cemetery. The liberation was celebrated in the Nijmegen area by young and old alike.

In and around the Freedom Museum

The two tanks in front of the Freedom Museum in Groesbeek are attracting a lot of attention. "I am very interested in war gear and the stories about the war," says 12-year-old Bavo, who was just hanging from the tank's cannon. Together with his family, he came especially to Nijmegen and its surroundings this May vacation because of the so visible history and memories of World War II. A visit to the Liberation Festival at the museum was also part of this. There are remarkably many families from all over the Netherlands who would like to know more about the Second World War. Bavo: "This makes you realize extra well what our freedom means." 

The Lindenberg and WW2 Infocenter.

Children and their parents also celebrate freedom in other places in the area. Like at the Children's Liberation Festival in De Lindenberg. For most children it feels like a nice afternoon of creativity: dancing, crafts or a circus workshop. Yet the war also receives explicit attention here, for example with the scavenger hunt of the Infocentrum WO2. Here children follow in the footsteps of Wojtek the bear and discover how this bear worked for freedom.

In the library at the Mariënburg and in LUX, the audience explored what freedom anno 2023 means and what lessons we can learn from the past. There were lectures and music. Tineke Ceelen, director of Stichting Vluchteling, spoke in a lecture about the freedom that people on the run lose.

Faces to Graves

At the Canadian Cemetery, few words are needed to feel how important freedom is. And what sacrifices were made for it. The photo project "Faces to Graves" brought many people to the cemetery. From families who had first visited the Freedom Museum, to elderly Canadians who were very eager to honor the young soldiers who died far from home at the time. That the rain was pouring down, they didn't care.

In Hunner Park

Rain also hit the Liberation Festival in Hunner Park. But fortunately it got drier fairly quickly and the warm sounds and fumes came out of the bandstand. Dancing with friends, listening and making music: the ideal way to celebrate our freedom, according to Dora. The 14-year-old was on stage as the opening act with her band from Nijmegen's Scholengemeenschap Groenewoud (NSG). People celebrated and enjoyed the live music until well after sunset.