Members of the House of Representatives and Senate visited the Waalsdorpervlakte on Monday, March 31. House Speaker Martin Bosma, along with Senate Speaker Jan Anthonie Bruijn, laid a wreath at the memorial monument on the plain in the Meijendel dune area near Scheveningen.
During World War II, more than 250 people were executed at the Waalsdorpervlakte. The site is located a short distance from the Oranjehotel prison in Scheveningen and was used by the Germans to execute those sentenced to death. Today, the plain is one of the most important Dutch war memorial sites.
Story of the War
“It is important that we keep the story of the war alive for future generations,” said Speaker Bosma. He described the visit as impressive. “This place has such a special history. It is no coincidence that the first commemoration was held here in 1946, immediately after the war.”
Monument
The members of parliament were welcomed at the Waalsdorpervlakte monument by Donald van Pelt, chairman of the Waalsdorp Honorary Platoon Association. The monument consists of a simple concrete edge with the text ‘1940–1945’ on one side. The other part of the monument is a large Bourdon bell. The Speakers laid a wreath, followed by a minute of silence. The members of parliament then received a tour of the plain.
Commemorations
Every year on May 4, during the Remembrance of the Dead, a silent march is held over the Waalsdorpervlakte, past the monument. About 3,000 people participate. Flowers and wreaths are laid, and the Bourdon bell tolls. A commemoration also takes place annually at the nearby Oranjehotel prison on the last Saturday in September or the first Saturday in October. During World War II, the German occupiers interrogated and tried imprisoned Dutch citizens in the Scheveningen prison. The penal institution was given the nickname ‘Oranjehotel’ during the occupation.