Freedom Trail Arnhem website also in English

Press release

Monday 14 September 2009

On 1 September an English version of the Freedom Trail Arnhem website was launched. The Freedom Trail Arnhem website is a digital walk through the capital of the Province of Gelderland, passing 36 locations which played a role during the war years 1940-1945. It is an expanded and detailed digital version of the booklet which was first presented in 2005. Since then a fourth, revised edition of the brochure (containing texts in Dutch, English and German) has been published.

In 2007 the website came into being, showing at each location a detailed description of what occurred at that point and/or in the surroundings. With the aid of current photos and video images, the computer will give you an impression of the spot as it looked two years ago. The descriptions are enlivened with historic photos and with maps that show the location as it was in 1940-1945.

The virtual route does not just take the internet walker to the important sites where the Battle of Arnhem was fought in September 1944. One is also taken to locations that were relevant during the occupation, for the resistance, the persecution of the Jews and the evacuation of the population of Arnhem, or are symbolic of these times. There are also points which refer to the liberation and the rebuilding.

The nice thing about the website is that the 'walk' can be followed in a random order. The fact that the descriptions are independent of one another makes this possible.

The information for the website was compiled in 2006/2007 by Frank van Lunteren, 4th year history student at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, and Willem Brouwer, student at the College of Advanced Education, Amsterdam. This was within the cadre of a work experience period at the Gelders Archive. They interviewed eyewitnesses, corresponded with various official bodies, and carried out thorough research in the Gelderland Library and the Gelders Archive collections, among others. Through their dogged persistence in their research they managed to assemble an enormous amount of information and to obtain additional and new details as well.

Recently the English translation of all texts was finished, and on 1 September 2009 this version of the website was launched:  http://www.mijngelderland.nl/nc/en/snuffelen-in/freedom-trail-arnhem. It is a part of www.mijngelderland.nl.