Keeping Nijmegen history alive

Bregje (37) and Rob Jaspers (68) want to continue commemorating the bombing of Nijmegen. They made a route book and marked the fire line in the center of Nijmegen. "War cuts through hopes and dreams," said Bregje.

One minute, that's all it took. The bombing of Nijmegen, at 1:28 p.m. on Carnival Tuesday, February 22, 1944, wiped out much of the city center. Nearly 800 were killed and thousands wounded by bombs dropped from American planes. A failed mission by the Allies. A great tragedy for the city.

Former Gelderlander journalist Rob Jaspers became interested in the bombing of his city through his work. "It determined what Nijmegen looks like. But for a long time little was told about it, the bombing was hidden away. Many people in Nijmegen know little or nothing about this history."

This amazed Rob immensely and it made his fascination even greater. His daughter Bregje also became interested in Nijmegen history. "I am a graphic designer and was allowed to design the exhibition 'Bombs on Civilians' in 2014. I heard so many impressive stories about the bombing, I wanted to do something with that."

Rob and Bregje decided to create a booklet together, with stories along the fire line where the bombs devastated the city. Bregje came up with the idea of placing commemorative plaques along the fire line, with the names of the victims. These can now be seen throughout the city.

Meanwhile, they also volunteer to organize an annual commemoration on the eve of Feb. 22. "You also want to involve young people and keep history alive. How do you do that in a good way? Rob and I talk about that a lot and sometimes we clash," Bregje says. "We especially draw attention to the hopes and dreams people have or had. The evening of February 21, 1944, people still had plenty of plans for their future. And the day after, everything was different." Rob: "It's a nice way to commemorate the bombing. It makes you reflect not only on then, but also on now."