A hard-won freedom
Just eighty years ago, Zutphen found itself at the center of a fierce battle in World War II. After the Battle of Arnhem (September 1944), Zutphen’s railway and IJssel bridge became frequent targets of Allied attacks aimed at disrupting German supply lines. By early April 1945, the Allied advance through the Achterhoek region was progressing well, until it met fierce resistance at Zutphen, which had been turned into a veritable ‘Festung’ (fortress). The city was to be defended at all costs, to the last man. Hundreds of Fallschirmjäger (German paratroopers), many of them poorly trained but heavily indoctrinated teenagers, occupied key positions in and around the city. On 2 April, the siege began with artillery shelling on the outskirts. Only after an exhausting and devastating battle was Zutphen finally liberated on 14 April.

Destruction at the ’s-Gravenhof
historical

Battle around the Wijnhuistoren
historical

Air raids on the railway
historical

The Berkel-Juliana Bridge

Monument on the IJsselkade

Attempt to blow up the water tower

Blown-up Infrastructure

A hospital in the line of fire

The Ammunition Depot

Drama at the Overweg

Barracks at the Hagepoortplein

The Canadian Bridge

‘Monument to Reconstruction’ by Titus Leeser

REFOOT Canadian route
Length: 0.71 km
Route from None

Route - 28 november 2024
Length: 0.69 km
Route from None

REFOOT Canadian route
Length: 0.22 km
Route from None

Route - 28 november 2024

REFOOT Canadian route