Press Conference ‘Europe Remembers’ at ITB Berlin

Press Conference area in the Culture Lounge (Hall 16)

Wednesday 7 March  |  13:00 – 14:00 |  Messe Berlin  | 

Brabant Remembers & Europe Remembers
75 personal life changing war stories

In 2019 and 2020 we will be celebrating 75 years of peace in Europe. During the Second World War the paths crossed for many soldiers and civilians at home and abroad and their lives were changed dramatically and forever. Brabant Remembers collects, preserves and presents 75 personal stories that took place in our province in which amazing subjects are discussed in various perspectives. Brabant Remembers aims to recount these unusual and inspiring stories together with the dilemmas which faced these people. By recounting the past and present, the people and places, these stories will remain relevant in this day and age, and will remain clear and comprehendible to young people in particular.

With a view to the activities that will take place in 2019 and 2020, Brabant Remembers has developed an extensive cultural programme with various WWII heritage partners, museums and local authorities, in which the dilemmas and life-changing stories of the soldiers and civilians who took part in the war are a central theme.

We would like to invite you to the Brabant Remembers press conference.:
When:                  Wednesday 7 March
Time:                    13:00 – 14:00
Location:             Press Conference area in the Culture Lounge (Hall 16)

The programme:
We will be pleased to tell you the story of Brabant Remembers during this press conference:

  • 75 years of freedom, 75 personal life-changing stories
  • Keeping history alive by sharing authentic personal stories and allowing them to be experienced
  • Stories by ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances
  • Stories that  highlight all the perspectives and aspects of the Second World War, including liberation, courage, persecution and resistance
  • Inspiring a broad target group with life-changing dilemmas from the past that also apply to the present day
  • These stories offer travel organisations a wide range of possibilities for compiling special interest tours for various target groups.

Our partner Liberation Route Europe (LRE) will also present to you the international publicity campaign Europe Remembers. Through this campaign, LRE aims to reach out to millions of visitors, and encourage them to visit the hundreds of commemorations, events and activities that will take place in 2019 and 2020 in memory of the liberation of Europe.

Please let us know if you will be attending the press conference via trade@visitbrabant.com. We hope to be able to welcome you on Wednesday 7 March in Berlin!

 

           

 

Municipality of Pilsen joins Liberation Route Europe

Czech Republic ninth country to be part of international remembrance trail

By signing an official agreement today, the municipality of Pilsen in the Czech Republic has become the newest member of the Liberation Route Europe. With the inclusion of Pilsen, the Czech Republic is the ninth country that is part of the international remembrance trail that aims to keep the memory of the Second World War alive.

The cooperation between Pilsen and the Liberation Route Europe (LRE) was ratified with the signatures of Mister Rémi Praud, Managing Director of the LRE Foundation and Mister Martin Zrzavecký, the Mayor of Pilsen. “We feel honoured with this agreement”, states Praud. “Not only it enables us to tell more about the liberation of Pilsen by the ‘Patton Army’, but also we will promote the existence of the museum and local monument that are dedicated to it to an international audience. And we look forward to help promoting the municipality with its annual Liberation  Festival.”

About Liberation Route Europe
Liberation Route Europe (LRE) is an international remembrance trail connecting the main regions along the Western Allied Forces’ advance in 1944-1945. From Southern England to France, the Belgian Ardennes, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany, all the way to the Polish city of Gdansk. Following the international development of its trail, LRE last year expanded its activities to include Italy: the Southern Route.

With the inclusion of Pilsen, the Czech Republic is the ninth country that is part of the international remembrance trail. LRE calls for an international dialogue by examining the complex heritage of the Second World War from multiple historical perspectives. Our intent is to combine this history with innovative and sustainable tourism products in collaboration with our international partners: www.liberationroute.com.

‘Europe Remembers 1944-1945’ presented in presence of Frans Timmermans

‘Europe Remembers 1944-1945’ is an international campaign aimed at renewing a universal commitment to peace. It coincides with the run up to the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 2019 and 2020. By raising public awareness, the campaign will encourage people to reflect on and appreciate the freedom that veterans fought for. Europe Remembers was introduced at the Liberation Route Europe Annual Conference in Brussels today in front of hundreds of people, including first Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans and the international press.

Europe Remembers is an initiative of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation and its key partners. The foundation, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2018, promotes Liberation Route Europe. Currently traversing nine countries in total, this freedom trail helps create mutual understanding by bringing together national perspectives on the liberation of Europe through education and shared experiences.

The Liberation Route Europe Foundation commemorates the Second World War and encourages the citizens of Europe to connect with key events that occurred across the continent. The goal is to create a unified awareness of the importance of freedom. Visit www.liberationroute.com to find out more about Liberation Route Europe and its aims.

25 million projected visitors
The 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War is an ideal moment to honour veterans. Europe Remembers 1944-1945 (www.europeremembers.com) is designed to salute their sacrifices. During 2019 and 2020, numerous commemorations and activities will take place in different countries to mark the anniversary. By raising international awareness, Europe Remembers aims to reach at least 25 million visitors who are expected to attend these events. The project will operate in all nine countries currently associated with Liberation Route Europe and an informative WWII portal will be launched in advance of the anniversary.

“With this campaign, we aim to bring attention to two important years of remembrance and create the awareness that freedom should never be taken for granted,” states Managing Director Rémi Praud of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation. “The project will also inspire visitors to learn about history and encourage them to get on the road and come face to face with it.”

Frans Timmermans
In a speech during the Liberation Route Europe Conference, Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans stated that the need for remembrance is greater than ever: “We are arriving at a turning point where living memory is substituted by written history. Distance in time has the same effect as distance in space, as events disappear from view and budding threats are perceived less keenly. Let us use our history to teach the next generation of Europeans where their freedoms came from and how they hung in the balance.”

Timmermans also praised the work of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation: “One of the best ways to remember our history is to see where events took place and tell the stories of the people who lived through them. Liberation Route Europe is doing important work in retelling these stories. To understand the reality of the wars that were fought in Europe, we need to stand where our ancestors stood.”

Thomas van Neerbos, director of the European Press Prize, was interviewed on stage. He said it is necessary to keep telling personal stories about the war: “We need to gather the stories of veterans before it’s too late. But not just the stories of heroes, also the ones of those who were on the wrong side for example.”

The German Ambassador in Belgium Rüdiger Lüdeking stated that the world has to continue to commemorate the war: “We have an obligation towards the victims of war by trying to prevent creating new victims. That’s why we have to explain to the younger generation what war is about: terror and cruelty.”

Vice-president of Normandy François-Xavier Priollaud told the audience that to keep the memory of the war alive, his region aims to organise an annual ‘World Forum for Peace’ immediately following D-Day commemorations.

Transition of Liberation Route Europe
Liberation Route Europe International was recently established in Belgium. Its Brussels’ office will now become the headquarters of Liberation Route Europe. Although Victoria van Krieken has been the foundation’s managing director for the past five years, she is handing over the role to Rémi Praud. Van Krieken will remain involved with the organisation as chair of the international supervisory board and as statutory director of the Dutch Liberation Route.

“From now on, I will be focusing on fundraising for the foundation in the USA and Europe and will also be responsible for strategic partnerships,” explains Van Krieken. She believes Praud is the “best person one could wish for” to take over the daily management of the foundation. “He has been working for the French region Normandy and has developed quickly within our organisation over the last few years. This is the right time for him to step up.”

Van Krieken will also be working on the Dutch programme for the 75th Anniversary commemorations in 2019 and 2020 together with vfonds. Thanks to a renewed agreement with vfonds (the Dutch Foundation of Peace, Freedom and Veteran Support) and the growing number of Liberation Route Europe members, the foundation can continue working on expanding the international remembrance route.