On May 7 2015, during the Memorial in the Nieuwe Kerk(New Church), the Foundation Memorial for Victims of Dam Shooting May 7 1945, presented the plans for the virtual monument placeastone.nl which would serve as a tool for the presentation of the physical monument.
With the help of thousands of visitors 15.509 digital stones were placed in the virtual monument. Eventually, the design in this shape, could be handed over to stone company Gielkens, who made the 31 stones and belonging context stones.
May 7 2016, here it is: the Foundation, and almost 500 visitors together with mayor Eberhard van der Laan of Amsterdam unveiling the monument.
After an intro of the chairman Johan Wieland, followed by a speech of Ludmilla van Santen, and the reading of a poem by Letty Dekker for her grandfather P.A.J. van Dam, the mayor read, about 03:00 pm, the names of the victims after which the stones were unveiled by family members.
It was an emotional moment for many relatives and the board of the Foundation.
Unique was also the presence of the barrel organ ’t Snotneusje, the same barrel organ were 71 years ago people seeking for cover, in panic. This barrel organ was taken out the Amsterdam Museum for this particular day and grinded by the family Perlee. The Foundation express their gratitude for that.
Next there was a reception in the Koninklijke Industrieele Groote Club.
The Foundation express their gratitude to all relatives, witnesses, volunteers, business, funds for their help for achieving the monument.
The work of the Foundation is not ready; thanks to the press coverage new material arrives, that must be further investigated. Besides that we are publishing a book that will be published this autumn. Information about this on our website.
All speeches, videos and texts, you can see again on this page.
A photo-impression of May 7 2016:
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Related:
Information is available by email dam07051945@gmail.com
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