A Corona-proof activity
Translated by Thomas Ansell
Though social distancing measures are ongoing within the Netherlands, some activities can go ahead, including those celebrating 75 years since liberation. On Monday, an historical walking route through Dokkum in Friesland will cover the seven evenings in 1945 when the city was freed. The route will follow a series of important locations from the Second World War. As reported by the Omrop Fryslân.
Onno Loonstraat, part of the organising committee, said: “We wanted to create something that is accessible for everyone, and is not tried to specific time of day: and this route is how we have done it.”
The start of the route is a monument to the twenty people that were executed by the occupying forces as a show of force by the Woudweg. Participants can of course jump on to the route at any point, and people will be able to access the route for four weeks.
The route winds through a range of important locations, for example the house that a series of Jewish people hid in, that was also the house of the head of the occupying forces. Each location will have a series of board with photos and stories around the location.
On 4 May, Dokkum would normally hold a remembrance ceremony, but that cannot go ahead this year due to the ongoing outbreak. It is likely that the ceremony will be broadcast on TV instead.
Image: the Stadshuis in Dokkum, by Wikimedia user Bouwe Brouwer. License here.