Marleen Bakker en Kunstbedrijf Arnhem

The monument represents a 7 meter tall steel wing sticking out of the ploughed earth at an angle. It serves as a metaphor for the people that still have not been ´liberated´ from the war. Operation Market Garden came to a halt in the Betuwe at the end of September 1944. The front stabilised along the river Linge. Shelling took place back and forth while patrols and man to man fighting were common activities. During this period the evacuation of the civilian population took place. The German forces blew up a dike at Elden flooding the country. No man´s land turned into No man´s water. It took until April 1945 before the war came to an end for the Overbetuwe. After endless evacuations the civilians returned to their destroyed and plundered houses. Many places were still unsafe due to the presence of explosives but the process of rebuilding could start. The mental consequences of a war are hard to shake off. The pain and suffering sustained by those who witnessed the events can be a true handicap. The monument serves to remind us of the suffering people have endured even after the war came to and end. It also serves as a monument for war refugees and veterans that took part in peace missions around the world.

The Netherlands

The monument represents a 7 meter tall steel wing sticking out of the ploughed earth at an angle. It serves as a metaphor for the people that still have not been ´liberated´ from the war.

Operation Market Garden came to a halt in the Betuwe at the end of September 1944. The front stabilised along the river Linge. Shelling took place back and forth while patrols and man to man fighting were common activities. During this period the evacuation of the civilian population took place. The German forces blew up a dike at Elden flooding the country. No man´s land turned into No man´s water. It took until April 1945 before the war came to an end for the Overbetuwe. After endless evacuations the civilians returned to their destroyed and plundered houses. Many places were still unsafe due to the presence of explosives but the process of rebuilding could start.

The mental consequences of a war are hard to shake off. The pain and suffering sustained by those who witnessed the events can be a true handicap. The monument serves to remind us of the suffering people have endured even after the war came to and end. It also serves as a monument for war refugees and veterans that took part in peace missions around the world.

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Denkmal „De Vleugel“ (Der Flügel)