National Liberation Museum 1944-1945 Groesbeek, 2005 - 2010

From an historical perspective the National Liberation Museum 1944-1945 is situated at a unique location close to Arnhem, Nijmegen and the German border. Part of the air landing operations for Operation Market-Garden took place here, in this region in September 1944. A few months later, in February 1945, the immense Rhineland Offensive started out of the meanwhile liberated region (Operation Veritable), after which the allies took large parts of Germany and the Netherlands, thus laying the foundation for the liberation of all of Western Europe.

The National Liberation Museum 1944-1945 brings the past to life. Typical 1940's smells, dioramas, original film footage, speeches and music take you back to the liberation of the Netherlands and Europe. The museum demonstrates to young and old the real significance of freedom, democracy and human rights.

The core collection of the National Liberation Museum 1944-1945 contains all objects which have a direct link with the history of the liberation, the museum’s main theme. This collection contains objects of both civilian and military origin which have a regional, national or international connection. The civilian and the common soldier take pride and place in the museum. Operation Market Garden is visualized, among other things, in a scale model with a sound & light show and a life-size diorama shows the allied troops crossing the river Waal. You will experience the war in the Lower Rhine region as well as the winter of starvation in The Netherlands.

The Dome of Honour, with inside the Roll of Honour, is shaped like a parachute and was built in 1987. It was built in memory of the dropping of thousands of American paratroopers on the landing zones alongside the ‘Wylerbaan’ and in ‘Klein Amerika’ on September 17-1944, as well as the great Rhineland Offensive.

The Roll of Honour shows the some 150,000 names of those soldiers of the western allies that fell between D-Day and VE-Day (Victory in Europe Day) in the battle for the freedom of Europe.