Waalsdorpervlakte Memorial The Hague

In the nature reserve Meijendel, between Scheveningen and Wassenaar, you will find, a short distance from the Oranjehotel, the monument and memorial site De Waalsdorpervlakte.

During the occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945, more than 250 and perhaps 280 resistance fighters were executed on this spot. Most of them had been imprisoned before their execution in the nearby prison in Scheveningen, which is also known as the Oranjehotel.

The monument consists of two parts:
- In front of the dune, behind which most of the executions took place, are four fusillage crosses. They are replicas of the original wooden crosses, which were transferred in 1981 to the Frisian resistance museum in Leeuwarden. In front of these crosses a concrete wall with the years 1940-1945. To the left of this a simple memorial stone with the text:
"Here many fellow countrymen sacrificed their lives for your freedom. Enter this place with due reverence."
- The second part of the monument is the large Bourdon bell, which is rung every year on May 4, during the Remembrance Day.

On the edge of the is the text of prof. Mr. R.P. Cleveringa:
"I sound to the glory and to follow those who gave their lives to the prevention of injustice, to the recovery of freedom and to the appreciation and exaltation of all Dutch spiritual good."

After the war, some convicted war criminals were executed here.

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Source

• Text: Leo Lensen
• Photos: Peer Franken (1), Arjan Vrieze (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)