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News
Temporary exhibition 'Forever Free. Dancing and War in a Frontline City' EXTENDED!
Temporary exhibition 'Forever Free. Dancing and War in a Frontline City' EXTENDED!
The National Liberation Museum 1944-1945 in Groesbeek presents until February 17th 2013 the exciting experiences of the people in the Nijmegen region during the last year of the war. This exhibition replaces the earlier planned 'Dancing in Bomb Shelters. My diary of Holland in WWII' by Johanna de Wilde.
Although Arnhem was a bridge too far during Operation Market Garden, Nijmegen had been liberated on September 20th 1944. But the people of Nijmegen had to face new dangers because Nijmegen became a frontline city. The centre and southern part of Nijmegen was in German hands. The frontline ran right through the Betuwe and the Ooypolder, passed through Groesbeek in the direction of Mook and was constantly changing due to heavy fighting. For 6 months the region was under attack from German torpedo’s, grenades and bombs. Many people lived like rats in the bomb shelters. Thousands of allied soldiers were in the city, Nijmegen was one large army camp.
Despite the great danger, there was also an atmosphere of liberation. This sense of freedom and the need to relax and have fun found a release at the dances in the concert hall ‘De Vereeniging’, country-houses, YMCA's, emergency hospitals, factories, schools and pubs. Young people growing up in the occupation period tasted freedom for the first time. Surrounded by the violence of war, there were many love-affairs between allied soldiers and Dutch girls.
In the frontline period, some 90.000 people were evacuated from the Betuwe and the wider area around Nijmegen. In Nijmegen some 2.200 citizens had been killed in the war, thousands had been wounded and as many houses had been destroyed or damaged.
 On February 8th 1945 the finale to freedom came within sight: Forever Free!. On this day the large Rhineland Offensive was launched. From the wider region around Nijmegen 50.000 allied soldiers moved into Germany starting the battle of the Niederrhein. This was the largest and final allied campaign in Western Europe during WW2. Never before had such a large military operation been launched from Dutch soil.
In the exhibition ‘Forever Free. Dancing and War in a Frontline City’ you will hear, experience and understand it all. Scientific data, impressive diaries, sounds, film fragments and photographs never exhibited before, take the visitor back in time.
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NEWS
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Battlefield Bicycle Tours 'The Liberation of Nijmegen'
On Sunday May 12 and May 26 you can join bicycle tours around the Nijmegen bridges.
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New addition to the permanent exhibition: 'Freedom on Wings, WW2 in the air'
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'All the children, they are gone'
New temporary exhibition from March 1-May 20 2013 about the children's transports from camp Vught to camp Sobibor in Poland.
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Filmprogramme 'Krieg am Niederrhein'
The Liberation Museum again features in February and March the classic film 'Krieg am Niederrhein'.
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Yes, I would like to become a donor and help the museum with € 20,- or more to further achieve her goals.
One of these goals is to portray the events about the liberation history of Nijmegen, the Netherlands and Europe. The museum also pays attention to the current themes of democracy, human rights and freedom. For your donation you will receive an entry ticket for free admission to our regular and temporary exhibitions. Additionally you will receive the (Dutch) museum magazine 'Vrije Tijding' twice a year. Click here to become a donor!
Banknumber: 117428876, IBAN: NL14RABO0117428876, BIC/SWIFT: RABONL 2U. | |
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