Celebrate:
80 years of freedom

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80 years of liberation

2024 commemorated 80 years of the liberation of South Limburg. On 12 September 1944, the church village of Mesch became the first Dutch town to be liberated, followed two days later, on 13 and 14 September, by Maastricht, the first Dutch town to be liberated by the Old Hickory Division. These events marked an important step in the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II.

Eighty years celebrated | Dinghuis Exhibition | Activities | Podcast | Discover yourself

Celebrate 80 years of freedom - in Maastricht

80 years of living in freedom was celebrated in Maastricht on Liberation Day Saturday 14 September 2024, with a commemoration and a liberation parade. Throughout the anniversary year, there will be a range of activities ranging from the occasional cabaret "Kwatsj in de Katsj", Pop-up exhibitions, lectures, specially developed tours, to podcasts. Information about the additional activities with dates will follow in the course of the year. This special anniversary year will conclude with the fulfilment of a long-cherished wish: an exhibition on liberation souvenirs.

Repeated history - Dinghuis Exhibition

Eighty years carefully preserved. Maastricht liberation souvenirs

Wyck and Maastricht are liberated after more than four years of German occupation on 13 and 14 September. The Maastricht people welcome the American liberators as heroes, flags are brought out and there is dancing in the city streets. The people of Maastricht can finally speak freely again and publicly express their opinions. There is also room for grief and long-held frustrations come out.

But the war is not over yet, and Maastricht and its surroundings still face anxious moments. Only with Germany's capitulation on 5 May 1945 could the whole of the Netherlands celebrate liberation. World War II came to an end later that year with Japan's capitulation on 15 August.

When important things happen, many people tend to keep things as tangible memories. The French word for memory is souvenir, and the liberation souvenirs shown in this exhibition are therefore tangible memories of the liberation of Maastricht and its surroundings. Maastricht people kept souvenirs, made them or had them made, and in those souvenirs we find the joy of regained freedom, but sometimes also frustration and sadness. The liberators also kept souvenirs, sent them home or took them home themselves. Those souvenirs form a special category in this free-to-visit exhibition.

Kazematten and shelters

Despite the liberation, the war did not end, and Maastricht people regularly had to go to the air-raid shelters. The largest shelter was in the old corridor system of the kazematten, located directly under the city's houses and squares. On New Year's Eve, due to the Ardennes Offensive, there was an all-night air alert. Under these circumstances, the sheltered cellar cabaret was born in the kazematten, meant to give some distraction to the people in the dark, underground spaces.

Now, 80 years later and with a nod to that time, the shelter cabaret was performed again - in a contemporary version, in a special place in the casemate.

Sint-Pietersberg (St. Pietersberg Hill) caves

The corridors in Sint-Pietersberg (St. Pietersberg hill) harbour numerous stories. They were set up as a large evacuation centre for some 47,500 people, as accommodation for 500 works of art. including the Night Watch. and as a secret smuggling or escape route to Belgium, used by English pilots, among others.

In both underground and overhead Maastricht, the special stories of World War II and liberation are still palpably present.

Kazematten air raid shelter Maastricht woman watch in showcase

Activities

Podcast Historical Maastricht

The podcast Historical Maastricht brings Maastricht's history to life with personal stories. In these episodes:

  • Experience the war through the eyes of a child.

    Jacques Huinck sharing his childhood memories of World War II, captured in drawings and notes.

    Listen now

  • 80 years cherished

    The liberation of Maastricht in souvenirs. Jos Notermans, Niek Hendrix, Arnold Sanders, David Loozen, share the special stories behind the liberation souvenirs of the exhibition of the same name.

    Coming soon

Discover for yourself

  • Shelter Museum Maastricht

    The Shelter Museum Maastricht has developed a walking route that takes you through Blauwdorp, where the entrance to the casemates is also located. The route is available at the museum itself.

    Discover it
    Maastricht Shelter Museum Maastricht showcases long corridor

  • Cycle the Liberation Route

    A historic route through Europe following the liberation in World War II, including through South Limburg. Discover stories, monuments and sights that mark the path of Allied troops and recall their heroic deeds.

    To the route

  • City walk - Maastricht liberated 80 years

    Discover Maastricht's liberation story on this walk past historical sites. Relive the joy of the liberation on 13-14 September 1944.

    View the route
    Grote Looiersstraat Maastricht square with terrace

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