Hotel de Wereld, hotel where WWII Nazi German forces in Netherlands capitulated
Hotel de Wereld is a hotel on the central square of Wageningen, in the Netherlands, and the current building dates to 1852. It has a plain brick facade and traditional Dutch architecture, with an extra floor added toward the end of the 19th century.
A tavern called De Waerelt has been recorded on this spot since 1669, used by travelers moving between Utrecht and Arnhem. In 1945, the German military commander signed the surrender of German forces in the Netherlands here, bringing the occupation to an end.
Hotel de Wereld stands on Wageningen's main square, where people gather every year on May 5 to mark the end of the occupation. A marble plaque with a Canadian maple leaf is fixed to the facade, visible to anyone passing by.
The hotel is right on Wageningen's central square and easy to reach on foot from anywhere in the town center. If you visit on May 5, arrive early because the area in front of the building fills up with people.
A wrought iron gate below the memorial plaque was made by students from Wageningen in 1947 and attached to the building two years later. It is a handmade piece, created by ordinary people, and it is still visible on the facade today.
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