Liberation Route Europe
Liberation Route Europe is an international remembrance trail that connects the main regions along the advance of the Western Allied Forces toward the
The Route
Great Britain
After the
Important remembrance sites
- Imperial War Museum
- Churchill War Rooms
- Dungeness
- Dover Castle
- D-Day Museum Portsmouth
- Southwick House
France
Normandy
During Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious assault in history, Allied forces landed on five beaches along an 80-kilometre (50-mile) stretch of Normandy coast on D-Day. This operation marked the start of the liberation of Western Europe. The route here comprises the five landing beaches: Omaha Beach (from Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to Vierville-sur-Mer), Utah Beach (Sainte-Marie-du-Mont), Gold Beach (between Port-en-Bessin and La Rivière), Juno Beach (from Courseulles to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer), Sword Beach (from Ouistreham to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer), along with Pointe du Hoc (Criqueville-en-Bessin) and Ranville (British Airlandings) or Longues-sur-Mer (German Battery).
The following
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Liberation Museum Cherbourg
- Juno Beach Centre
- D-Day Museum Arromanches
- Mémorial de Caen
- Memorial Pegasus
- Merville Battery Museum
- 'The Grand Bunker' Atlantikwall Museum
- Airborne Museum - Sainte-Mère-Eglise
- Crisbecq Battery Museum
- Memorial of Montormel
- Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy - Bayeux
- Utah Beach D-Day Museum
- Cemeteries
- Bayeux British Military Cemetery
- Bény-sur-Mer Canadian Cemetery
- La Cambe German Military Cemetery
- Normandy American Cemetery
- Monument
Paris
An uprising of the population against the Germans on August 19 forced the Allies to send troops to liberate Paris, although it was not a priority. The French 2nd Armoured Division entered Paris on the evening of August 24. The capitulation was signed on the Île de la Cité, German troops surrendered at the Montparnasse train station. Two days later a triumphal parade, led by General Charles de Gaulle, was held on the Champs-Elysées.
Important remembrance sites
- Historial Charles de Gaulle
- Memorial General Leclerc de Hauteclocque and the Liberation of Paris—Jean Moulin Museum
- Army Museum—Invalides
- Order of Liberation Museum
Belgium
Ardennes
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region. They were eventually pushed back by the Allied forces to the Siegfried Line.
Important remembrance sites
- Bastogne War Museum
- Mardasson Memorial
- Bastogne Barracks
- Battle of the Bulge Museum—La Roche-en-Ardenne
- Henri Chapelle American Cemetery
Brussels
Important remembrance sites
Luxembourg
Luxembourg was in the vicinity of the Battle of the Bulge offensive and had to wait until 12 February 1945 before being completely liberated.
Important remembrance sites
Netherlands
The Dutch section of Liberation Route Europe is concentrated in the provinces of Gelderland, North-Brabant, Overijssel,[2] Zeeland[3] and Limburg.[4] In these provinces a large network of 176 'audiospots' has been developed to combine historical sites and personal stories.[citation needed]
Gelderland
The main historical places on the route here are Arnhem (Battle of Arnhem)[5] Nijmegen (Operation Market Garden), Groesbeek (Operation Veritable), Wageningen (German capitulation), Oosterbeek (Operation Market Garden), Otterlo (Liberation of the East) and Lent (Men's Island).[6]
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Airborne Museum Hartenstein
- National Liberation Museum 1944–1945
- Museum De Casteelse Poort
- Cemeteries
- Audiospots: 76
North-Brabant
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Cemeteries
- Audiospots: 61
Overijssel
Important remembrance sites
- Cemeteries
- Audiospots: 7
Zeeland
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Cemeteries
- Audiospots: 10
Limburg
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Cemeteries
- Audiospots: 22
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia
During the autumn and winter of 1944–45, the longest battle of the Second World War on German soil took place in the Hürtgen Forest. With this battle, which ended in an Allied victory, the war returned to Germany and opened the road to Berlin.
Seven 'audiospots' have been installed in the region.
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Museum Hürtgenwald 1944—Vossenack
- Field Hospital Bunker Simonskall
- Vogelsang International Place
- Cemeteries
- Audiospots: 7
Berlin
Berlin is the endpoint of the route. The Battle of Berlin was one of the last battles of the Second World War in Europe. Many soldiers died in widespread house-to-house fighting where Soviet soldiers faced desperate German resistance. On May 2, 1945, the Berlin garrison surrendered to the Soviet army. The unconditional surrender of Germany was signed on the 8th.
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Allied Museum
- German-Russian Museum
- Cecilienhof Palace
- Topography of Terror
- Monuments
- Cemeteries
Poland
Gdańsk
On the 1st of September 1939, the battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the Westerplatte in Gdańsk. This is regarded as the first shots of the Second World War. After the war, Gdansk would become an important symbol of Polish resistance.
Important remembrance sites
- Museums
- Monuments
- Cemeteries
Czech Republic
Plzeň
Important remembrance sites
- Patton Memorial Pilsen [cs]
- 16th Armored Division Memorial
- Thank You America Memorial
Italy
The Liberation Route Europe in Italy connects important remembrance sites connected to the landing in Sicily, the Gustav Line defense, the Battle of Montecassino, the landing in Anzio, the Gothic Line defense.[7]
The Liberation Route Europe Foundation
The Liberation Route Europe is developed and managed by the Liberation Route Europe Foundation with offices in Utrecht and Brussels. Its purpose is to bring together all of the institutions related to World War II—museums, universities, regional and national governments, tourism authorities, veterans associations, war graves commissions and so on.)—and to coordinate their efforts at an international level.
Martin Schulz, former President of the European Parliament, serves as the patron of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation.[8]
References
- ^ "The Council of Europe certifies 5 new Cultural Routes". Cultural Routes. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
- ^ "'Liberation Route Europe' ook door Overijssel, zeven gemeenten doen mee". rtvoost.nl. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Remembering the 'Forgotten Battle'". Toronto Star. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Trip follows Liberation Route Europe through Netherlands". Toronto Star. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ Richardson, Nigel (17 September 2014). "Battle of Arnhem: dropping in on a bridge too far". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Liberation Route Europe: Travel the path of the Allied advance in WWII". CTV News. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Turismo culturale, la Linea Gotica toscana entra nella "Liberation Route Europe"". loschermo.it. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Der Tagesspiegel - Geschichte ohne Grenzen". tagesspiegel.de. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.