Indies Monument, War memorial in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Indies Monument is a war memorial in The Hague, made up of seventeen bronze figures arranged in a circle around a central shrine. A map of Southeast Asia is worked into the composition, alongside inscriptions that honor those who lost their lives.
The monument was opened by Queen Beatrix in 1988 to honor Dutch civilians and soldiers who died during the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945. It came after years of campaigning by veterans and survivors who had long sought an official place of remembrance.
The name of the monument refers to the former Dutch territories in Southeast Asia, once known as the Dutch Indies. Every year on August 15, survivors, relatives, and descendants gather here for a remembrance ceremony that visitors can witness.
The memorial stands along Professor Teldersweg, close to Madurodam, and is easy to reach on foot from there. Visiting in the morning tends to be quieter, though the site is open at any time of day.
Inside the central shrine rests an urn containing soil gathered from seven Indonesian war cemeteries, creating a direct link to the places where so many were buried. A small replica of the monument also stands in the nearby Madurodam miniature park, bringing this history to a very different kind of visitor.
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