#Exhibition - The Netherlands
OverBruggen: 80 years of Waaloversteek and 10 years of Sunset March
9/7/2024
11/17/2024
Remembrance is something everyone does in their own way. At home with relatives, at a memorial, by yourself in your thoughts or in a group. Sometimes a commemoration is tied to a physical location, such as a war memorial or gravestone in a cemetery, and sometimes it is more of a ritual. At the commemoration of the Waal crossing in Nijmegen, this all comes together.
20 September 2024 will mark the 80th anniversary of the crossing of the river Waal. This daring action by Allied troops secured the liberation of Nijmegen, but could not prevent Operation Market Garden from being too delayed. The Allies had intended to use the operation to cross all major rivers, but ultimately got no further than the Waal.
Every day, the Sunset March Foundation commemorates this past on a bridge in Nijmegen, aptly named ‘the Crossing’. Every evening at sunset, a ‘veteran of the day’ walks from south to north on the bridge, ending at the Waalcrossing monument. At walking pace, the 48 lampposts on the bridge turn on, in reference to the number of fallen allies during the Waalcrossing. This makes the bridge the largest war memorial in Europe. It is ten years since this modern way of commemorating took place for the first time.
In this exhibition, together with the Sunset March Foundation, we delve deeper into the story of the crossing and the different ways in which we commemorate such a historic moment. From creating a work of art on a bridge, to sharing personal stories during a Sunset March. Will you walk with us?
Huis van de Nijmeegse Geschiedenis Mariënburg 23 Nijmegen
Organiser: Huis van de Nijmeegse Geschiedenis