On Tuesday, April 14, marking the 81st anniversary of Friesland’s liberation in April 1945, we officially opened the Canadian Trail East Friesland, the new and final section of the Liberation Route Europe Canadian Trail in the region. The route follows the path of the Canadian liberators, all the way to the Wadden Sea.
The inauguration was marked by a powerful symbolic moment: mayors and aldermen from the municipalities of Smallingerland, Opsterland, Ooststellingwerf, Achtkarspelen and Tytsjerksteradiel activated an air-raid siren, echoing the sound that once filled the air during the Second World War.
Along the 75-kilometre route, visitors will encounter 21 war memorials and points of interest, each marked by a Floor Vector of Memory. At every marker, a QR code connects visitors to the specific history of that location, drawing not only on the story of Canadian forces, but on the full breadth of events that unfolded on these very sites during the war. The stories themselves were carefully gathered by volunteers from local historical societies, weaving together the landscape and the memory it holds.
The project was led by the Smelne’s Erfskip Drachten Foundation in collaboration with the LRE Foundation and the five municipalities, bringing together local knowledge and regional commitment to remembrance.
In the footsteps of the Canadian liberators
The Canadian Trail East Friesland follows the advance of Canadian troops as they moved toward the Wadden Sea in April 1945. Their mission was to cut off German forces in Friesland from those in Groningen, gradually isolating them and forcing their surrender.
Along the way, the route passes through places where key moments unfolded – from the forests south of Oosterwolde, where fighting began in early April, to the canal crossings near Burgum, Kootstertille and Augustinusga. The lock complex near Kollumerpomp marks one of the final locations of intense fighting between April 13 and 16.
Today, the landscape tells a layered story. Numerous memorials along the route commemorate the many lives lost in the final days before liberation, including civilians, Allied airmen, and victims of persecution and forced labour.
The Canadian Trail East Fryslân is now available on the Liberation Route Europe app and website, where visitors can explore the route, read all the stories, and plan their own journey through this meaningful landscape.
