Loïc François, Author at LRE Foundation

Crowdfunding wandelroute Londen-Berlijn

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Loïc François

Als onderdeel van het ‘Europe Remembers’-programma voor de kroonjaren 2019/2020 werken de Stichting Liberation Route Europe en de vermaarde architect Daniel Libeskind samen aan een unieke, internationale lange-afstands-wandelroute. Daniel Libeskind en zijn team van Studio Libeskind hebben hiervoor iconische markeringen, ook wel ‘Vectors of memory’ genaamd, ontworpen. In combinatie met het sterke Europese netwerk van Liberation Route Europe is hiermee de basis gelegd voor de ontwikkeling van een unieke lange-afstands-wandelroute. Een traject dat duurzaam onze gedeelde Europese geschiedenis verbindt en tastbaar maakt.

De beoogde route van Londen naar Berlijn strekt zich uit over bijna 3.000 kilometer, met onderweg verschillende aantakroutes, vergelijkbaar met Santiago de Compostella. Met de geplande opening in 2020, juist op het moment dat Europa 75 jaar einde Tweede Wereldoorlog herdenkt, wordt het resultaat zichtbaar van jarenlange inspanning. Door verschillende verhaallijnen uit de laatste fase van de Tweede Wereldoorlog uit te lichten, schenkt de route aandacht aan de waarde van internationale samenwerking, Europese eenwording en vrijheid waarvan West-Europa al bijna 75 jaar geniet.

Om deze route te kunnen realiseren, is de stichting op zoek naar financiële steun. Victoria van Krieken, directeur van de Stichting Liberation Route Europe, is enthousiast over de mogelijkheden “We hebben een crowdfunding actie opgezet waaraan iedereen kan meedoen. Men kan bijvoorbeeld symbolisch één kilometer van de route adopteren. Met deze campagne kan iedereen een bijdrage leveren, waardoor we deze geschiedenis en verhalen van generatie op generatie kunnen blijven overbrengen”.

Press trip ‘Follow in the footsteps of the Polish liberating force – from Axel to Ter Apel’

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Loïc François

While most people know that British, American, and Canadian troops were involved in the liberation of the Netherlands, few know that the Poles also played a major role in the last days of WWII in Holland.

How the Polish troops ended up in the Netherlands is a special story. Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland lit the fire of resistance in many Polish people who wanted to fight for freedom. Emigrant children, refugees from labor camps, escaped war prisoners, and soldiers who managed to escape after the fall of Poland were brought together to form the Polish 1st Armored Division in Great Britain in 1942.

In August 1944, the troops entered the war, fought in Normandy and then advanced through Belgium to the Netherlands.

On behalf of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation and our partners, we invite the press to join us on a thematic press trip the ‘Liberation of the Netherlands by the Poles’ (30 August – 2 September).

It is a great opportunity for you to look forward to the upcoming remembrance period in the Netherlands. In 2019 and 2020 Europe commemorates the 75th anniversary of liberation and the end of WWII. This press trip will focus on the underexposed role of the Poles regarding the liberation of the Netherlands 75 years ago, the places of interest and remains of the war in the area where the Polish soldiers fought. Besides this, we will visit some museums that are dedicated and we’ll attend the national kickoff of the liberation of the (southern) Netherlands at the borders of the Scheldt in Terneuzen.

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Discover the full program of the press trip (PDF)

Interested ? Contact Gert-Jan Jacobs, Press and Communication officer

Liberation Route Europe Certified as ‘Cultural Route Of The Council Of Europe’

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Loïc François

New certification acknowledges several years of development

The Liberation Route Europe Foundation is proud to announce that the Liberation Route Europe has been certified as a ‘Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.’ The Liberation Route Europe is one of five routes certified for 2019, recognized for research, development, cooperation, and cultural tourism. An award ceremony will be held later this year at the annual conference of the European Institute for Cultural Routes in Romania. Managing Director of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation, Rémi Praud, expressed the significance of this award: “The Cultural Route certification acknowledges several years of effort in developing a transnational network that connects the main regions along the advance of the Allies during the end of World War II. It is the recognition of a shared heritage of enormous importance, and we are excited for the new possibilities that we believe this label will open up for our organisation.”

With this certification, The Liberation Route Europe has become one of the 38 outstanding European routes, such as the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Routes, the Viking Route and the Hansa Route. These routes cover a range of different themes, ranging from architecture and landscapes, from gastronomy to the most important figures in European art, music and literature. They serve as an invitation to travel and to discover Europe’s rich and diverse heritage.

Guarantee of excellence

The ‘Cultural Route of the Council of Europe’ certification was launched in 1987 and is a guarantee of excellence. All certified route initiatives promote responsible cultural tourism and sustainable development. They work to bring people and places together in networks with a shared history. The Cultural Routes offer a wealth of recreational and educational activities and put the values of the Council of Europe into practice: human rights, cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and cross-border exchanges.

Press Contact: Scott Durno
Liberation Route Europe Foundation

+32 0 25 800 733

s.durno@liberationroute.com

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Download the press release in Dutch and French.

Liberation Route Europe op weg naar 75 jaar vrijheid

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Loïc François

De Stichting Liberation Route Europe geeft samen met haar partners uit binnen- en buitenland invulling aan de betekenis en beleving van 75 jaar vrijheid. We doen we o.a. met het online platform en de internationale awareness campagne ‘Europe Remembers’. Met ‘Europe Remembers’ promoten en verbinden we meer dan 300 herdenkings- en erfgoedlocaties, speciale evenementen en herdenkingen in heel Europa.

Samen met de nationale campagne rond ’75 Jaar Vrijheid’ bieden we (potentiële) bezoekers en geïnteresseerden alle relevante informatie met betrekking tot de programmering rond de herdenkingen in 2019 en 2020 inclusief een activiteitenkalender, reisinspiratie en -aanbod en historische achtergrondinformatie.

Meedoen?

Organisaties met een programma dat interessant is voor internationale bezoekers kunnen zich aansluiten bij de campagne ‘Europe Remembers’. Dat kan eenvoudig door je hier te registreren en vervolgens de activiteiten met beeld in één of meer talen toe te voegen.

Europe Remembers zelf zichtbaar maken, aangepast aan de locatie (buurt, dorp, stad, museum etc.)? Dat kan ook. We zijn je daarbij graag behulpzaam. Voor nadere informatie over deze co-branding van je eigen activiteiten: Liberation Route Europe, T: 030 – 2006834 E: info@liberationroute.com

Volg ‘Europe Remembers’ op social media

Wil je op de hoogte blijven van de activiteit binnen de campagne Europe Remembers volg ons dan op de social media. Op Facebook kun je ons vinden via EuropeRemembers_NL, op Instagram via europeremembers en op Twitter via EuropeRemembers_NL

Europe Remembers on tour

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Loïc François

In het spoor van de westelijke geallieerden trekt Liberation Route Europe de komende twee jaar met een Express-bus door Europa. Het doel is de erfenis van de Tweede Wereldoorlog levend te houden en de herinneringen over te dragen aan toekomstige generaties. Van Londen tot Berlijn worden zoveel mogelijk mensen uitgenodigd om op locatie kennis te maken met de internationale route en de evenementen, tentoonstellingen en herdenkingen rondom 75 jaar vrijheid.

Onder de titel ‘Europe Remembers on Tour’ start de Express-bus medio mei in Zuid-Engeland en maakt het begin juni de oversteek naar Normandië voor de activiteiten rond D-Day. Samen met partners, ambassadeurs, genodigden, pers, bloggers & vloggers worden onder meer delen van een nieuw te ontwikkelen ‘remembrance hiking trail’, internationale lange-afstands-wandelroute, afgelegd. Tegelijkertijd start een fundraising traject om deze route met iconische markeringen in volle omvang te realiseren. Het team doet online verslag van de reis en deelt alle belevenissen actief via de social media. De Express Bus zal in 2019 en 2020 opvallend en nadrukkelijk aanwezig zijn bij diverse belangrijke evenementen en historische gebeurtenissen langs de route. In Nederland onder meer rond de Slag om de Schelde en Operation Market Garden.

Voor informatie over ‘Europe Remembers on Tour’: Liberation Route Europe, Joël Stoppels (di, do, vr). E j.stoppels@liberationroute.com, T 030-200 6834, 06-36335370

Studio Libeskind presents the “Vectors of Memory” in NYC

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Loïc François

Liberation Route Europe Foundation and Studio Libeskind presented the international hiking trail initiative in New York City.

On march 25th 2019, it was an amazing evening in New York City, at Studio Libeskind, for the presentation of the Liberation Route Europe Hiking Trail project and its markers, called the “Vectors of Memory” designed by Daniel Libeskind.

“This project has strength, as it is based on a
simple thing – on the human foot. It does not
require books, it does not require complex tools;
it requires nothing more than to walk. These are
the footsteps of the future, something that we
all badly need against the oblivion of forgetting.”

Daniel Libeskind

The evening also brought some very inspirational speeches including one of former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clarke.

→ Support the hiking trail project through donating or sponsoring

→ Download images of the Vectors here

Contact: Scott Durno
Liberation Route Europe Foundation

+32 0 25 800 733

s.durno@liberationroute.com

Conference closing the EYES project in Cassino

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Loïc François

History through their eyes project ended in Cassino on the 15th of February. Italian students gathered to see the exhibition and present their works realised on the 75th anniversary of the destruction of the Abbey of Monte Cassino.

Hosted by the Municipality of Cassino, this fifth EYES edition focused on Italian experiences and the link with the European Union.

Students from seven high schools presented their projects on the memory of the Second World War and participated in a debate From Cassino to Rome, WWII as the Mother of Europe? They met the eyewitnesses: Giovanni Vizzaccaro, president of the Civil War Victims Association and Armando Del Greco, the former member of the local government.

Travelling exhibition
History through Their Eyes exhibition was inaugurated during the EYES conference. It will be shown until the mid-March and consists of the stories of ten young men and women from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, who personally witnessed the Second World War. Some were members of the resistance, others operated tanks, and some were nurses taking care of the wounded while others were wounded themselves. Some of them are still alive today while others died during the war. All of them faced difficult choices and saw their lives change dramatically.
The Liberation Route Europe Foundation created a virtual exhibition where even more biographies are available in English, French, Dutch, German and Italian.

Address: Comune di Cassino, Palazzo Civico, Piazza De Gasperi – 03043 Cassino

Liberation Route Europe Announces Unique International Trail Initiative To Mark 75 Years After WWII

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Loïc François

New concept called “Vectors” designed by Daniel Libeskind to bring tangible dimension to Liberation Route

In the official European premiere, Daniel Libeskind and Liberation Route Europe Foundation have announced their cooperation around a unique transnational memorial which will unite, for the first time, countries, regions, important sites, milestones, and stories in the last phase of World War II. Using a series of markers called “Vectors,” this trail will combine Libeskind’s world-renowned and innovative practice with Liberation Route Europe’s strong network of engaged partners throughout Europe. Those joined forces will create a sustainable connection based on a shared European history.

To be inaugurated in 2020, and stretching almost 3,000 km from London to Berlin with various branches, while passing through hundreds of points of interest, the route is the culmination of years of work and planning. It will offer a very special momentum at a time when Europe is commemorating 75 years after WWII. Inspired by the ideals of Liberation Route Europe Foundation, Libeskind’s design for the markers evokes the thrust of the Allied advance, while also representing the destruction and salvation that comes with such an undertaking

Bold and adaptable, these vectors will come in 4 different forms and sizes to be flexible enough to mark the significant waypoints on the trail, and to easy to install in different environments.

“The vectors are a topography of memory. They function as points in both space and time, while connecting to the story of liberation,” said architect Daniel Libeskind. “It was important that the markers communicate a very clear and bold message, so that when one encounters the trail it is immediately clear the vastness of the catastrophe and the ultimate triumph of liberation,” added Libeskind.

The international long-distance path that these Vectors will mark is a cross-border monument of freedom, harmony, and peace. Touching on different narratives of the last the last phase of World War II, the trail will highlight international cooperation, European unification and the freedom that Western Europe has enjoyed for almost 75 years.

Core to the central mission of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation, these ideals will find an architectural and tangible expression in the trail. Martin Schulz, Patron of the LRE Foundation: “The memory of our past shapes the way we see our present and work towards our future. The Liberation Route is a milestone project that I gladly support and that I hope will help keep the memory of our continent vivid and alive. I hope that the Liberation Route Europe can attract even more international support in the upcoming years for the Hiking Trail’s inauguration in 2020.”

Now officially launched, the LRE Trail and Vectors markers are in need of support, to ultimately unite the four countries coherently. To find out how to participate through donating or sponsoring, please click here.

Download images of the Vectors here

Contact: Scott Durno
Liberation Route Europe Foundation

+32 0 25 800 733

s.durno@liberationroute.com

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Liberation Route Europe and Rough Guides Announce Cooperation

Posted on October 2, 2018May 5, 2023 by Loïc François

A unique travel guide to commemorate 75 years of the liberation of Europe

Liberation Route Europe Foundation and Rough Guides are pleased to announce their new co- operation to produce a travel book about the liberation of Europe during World War II. The book will be the first of its kind, combining the signature Rough Guides writing style with the Foundation’s expertise in this period of history. The book will cover hundreds of locations through regions in nine different countries, focusing on the liberation routes of the Allied advance. It is a unique contribution to remembrance tourism and will make this important part of European history accessible to a wide audience.

Rémi Praud, managing director of Liberation Route Europe Foundation, says:
“We are excited to work together with Rough Guides, a leader in innovative travel publishing, on this new project. By combining their experience with Liberation Route Europe’s expertise in this field, we have found a special way to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Europe.”

Agnieszka Mizak, managing director of Rough Guides says:
“Rough Guides is extremely pleased to work with the Liberation Route Europe Foundation and collaborate on such an important project. With this book, we can make sure that people are reminded of this turning point in our history, paying tribute to the people who made it happen.”

Scheduled for publication in July 2019, this guide will be written in an evocative tone, using lesser-known stories to create an accessible narrative. Inter-chapter features will explore topics like various Resistance movements and the role of women in the war effort. By combining experiences to discover, such as the daily sunset march in Nijmegen, with a comprehensive list of sights along the Liberation Route Europe, this important guide represents a new step in uniting the story of the liberation of Europe across borders.

Download the leaflet here

Contact: Scott Durno
Liberation Route Europe Foundation

+32 0 25 800 733

s.durno@liberationroute.com

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