€1.5 million for 75th anniversary of Second World War

Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois has announced funding in the amount of €1.5 million for events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The funds will go to six projects in Flanders.

“These events will help to make the public aware of the 75th anniversary of the liberation,” said Bourgeois. “It’s crucial that current and future generations know this history.”

The war officially came to an end on 2 September 1945. Flanders will launch several events this year in the lead-up to next year’s anniversary date to mark key moments of the war in Belgium.

The six projects being funded have to do with different aspects of the war. One will be spearheaded by Kazerne Dossin Holocaust museum in Mechelen and another will commemorate the Battle of the Scheldt, which opened up a shipping route to Antwerp in the autumn of 1944. Attention will be paid to conflicts carried out in the air, in the sea and on land.

“We are commemorating the liberation, the fight against the dictator, to defend and safeguard democracy and the rule of law,” said Bourgeois. This 75-year commemoration is crucial in keeping the memory of it alive in our society.”

The 75th anniversary is “a generational turning point,” Bourgeois pointed out, as those who lived through the war are dying. “That’s why it is so important that this memorial be given a deeper, broader and future-oriented interpretation. Flanders wants to play a pioneering role in policies related to Second World War remembrance and commemoration.”

Photo: On 30 November 1944, the SS Fort Cataraqui was the first ship to be unloaded in the port of Antwerp following the opening of the Scheldt Estuary
©Imperial War Museum/Wikipedia