Oorlogsmonument Zwolle, War memorial in Ter Pelkwijkpark, Zwolle, Netherlands.
The Oorlogsmonument Zwolle stands in Ter Pelkwijkpark and consists of a kneeling figure mounted on a natural stone column with an adjacent commemorative wall. This wall holds inscriptions and poetic lines that preserve the names and memory of those who died.
The monument was unveiled in May 1950 and honors 55 executed residents, 655 concentration camp victims, and 29 Allied soldiers who died during World War II. It marked an important moment five years after the war ended when the city publicly expressed its grief and solidarity.
The monument displays lines from a resistance poem that ask visitors to remember suffering while moving forward with hope. The text speaks to the obligation of keeping the fallen in memory while building toward tomorrow.
The monument is located in Ter Pelkwijkpark and is freely accessible to visitors year-round. During May and August, national remembrance ceremonies take place where the city comes together to honor the fallen.
Beneath the monument rest urns containing earth from various conflict zones where Dutch citizens lost their lives. This earth connects the memorial physically to the places of death and creates a direct link between the park and the distant lands of suffering.
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