The Liberation Route Europe hiking trails
Liberation Route Europe hiking trails network is a unique transnational memorial stretching 10,000km and tracing the Allies’ advance to liberate Europe during World War II.
Developed in cooperation with hiking associations across Europe, the trails will form a traceable link between the main regions along the Allied Forces’ advance across Europe. The routes will pass numerous historical locations and tell stories told from a multitude of perspectives that were important in the last phase of World War II.
Hiking Organisations
European Ramblers Association
Founded in Germany in 1969, the European Ramblers’ Association (ERA) is an umbrella organisation comprising of 65 walking organisations from 35 European countries, along with their 3 million individual members.
FFRandonnée (France)
FFRandonnée is a French hiking association which is present throughout mainland France and overseas. The organisation is represented by 115 regional and departmental hiking committees, bringing together some 3,500 local associations or hikers’ clubs.
GR Sentiers (Belgium)
GR Sentiers association is based in the Wallonia and Brussels regions of Belgium. Its 350+ volunteers maintain trails markers, defend their routes, write and publish well-known topo-guides, and initiate and promote various hiking- related activities.
Wandelnet (The Netherlands)
Since 1980 the Wandelnet Foundation has been working with their partners and their 900+ volunteers to protect and preserve the vulnerable infrastructure of walkers in the Netherlands, and ensure that walking is safe and attractive.
Type of trails
The Liberation Route Europe hiking trails projects includes two types of trails / routes:
Long Distance Trails
The long-distance hiking trails have been developed to link the various counties and regions along the Liberation Route Europe.
These international hiking routes rely primarily on pre-existing long-distance hiking trails such as GR or E-paths. When deviations are needed to link an important historic site or location, LREF has worked with hiking organisations and other regional and local partners to make the optimal connections.
Local Trails & Themed Routes
Certain sections of the hiking trails follow dedicated themes, passing monuments and information panels with stories linked to a particular sequence of events, important battles, or the movements of a certain unit of soldiers. The stories and information provided along the route comes from a multitude of perspectives, really bringing the history to life and enriching the hiking experience.
