Two veterans of World War II helped light the liberation fire in Wageningen at midnight to mark 81 years since the end of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands.
The ceremony was held on the square in front of the city’s Hotel de Wereld, where the agreement for German capitulation was signed in 1945.
This year, the fire was lit by 105-year-old Dutch war veteran Johan Geneuglijk, 103-year-old British war veteran Robbie Hall, and Wageningen mayor Floor Vermeulen. “The liberation demanded a great many sacrifices, and we must never forget that,” said Geneuglijk.
About 20 veterans in total were present, with British servicemen having arrived in the Gelderland city on Sunday.
After the lighting of the fire, a relay began in which approximately 2,500 runners from 107 councils will carry the liberation flame throughout the country.
Celebrations begin
The official celebration of national liberation will begin this year in Utrecht, where prime minister Rob Jetten will light the liberation fire in the afternoon, after which all 14 liberation festivals will begin.
Around a million people each year visit one of the festivals across the country, and every year the organisers select a group of Ambassadors of Freedom, from prominent artists. This year performing under the committee’s 2026 theme are De Jostiband, Karsu, La Fuente and Rolf Sanchez.
A relatively recent tradition is that of the Liberation meal, in which local communities get together to celebrate. This year a special Liberation soup recipe, a creamy white bean soup, is the national dish.
This evening, a closing concert will take place on the Amstel river in Amsterdam in the presence of the royal family and other officials.
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