In Wageningen, mayor Floor Vermeulen traditionally lit the National Liberation Fire around midnight, as a starting signal for the celebration of freedom on May 5. Vermeulen was accompanied by two World War II veterans: 103-year-old Robbie Hall from the United Kingdom and 105-year-old Johan Geneuglijk from the Netherlands. “The liberation required a lot of sacrifices and we should never forget that,” said Geneuglijk.
The ceremony took place on the square in front of Hotel De Wereld, where the German capitulation was negotiated in 1945. In addition to Hall and Geneuglijk, about twenty WWII veterans are expected to be present in Wageningen these days. The British former soldiers arrived in the Gelderland city on Sunday. They were welcomed there by, among others, Vermeulen and chairman Tanja Haseloop of the Wageningen45 commemoration committee.
Relay
After lighting the liberation fire, a relay started in which approximately 2,500 runners from 107 municipalities took part. They bring the fire to their own community. Among the participants are a running group from Germany and a Ukrainian running group.
The official start of the Liberation Day celebrations will take place this year in the city of Utrecht. Writer and television maker Splinter Chabot will present his May 5 lecture in the Dom Church on Tuesday afternoon.
