#Landmark
Zipperplantsoen, a visible reminder of war and liberation
With the official opening of the Zipperplantsoen on 5 April 2025, Den Ham now also has a visible reminder of the years of war and liberation in the village center. The site, with its information panels, serves as a special tribute to the Canadian liberators and all others who devoted themselves to the village during the war years. “Zipper” refers to the code name the Canadians had given to Den Ham on their military maps.
The information panels about the wartime history of Den Ham explain, among other things, that the Canadians initially intended to liberate the village already on April 5 in the late afternoon. However, heavy resistance forced them to retreat to Vroomshoop. The actual liberation of the village finally followed at 10:32 a.m. on April 6, after five long years of war.
The Zipperplantsoen is located in a special spot, right in front of the entrance to the old cemetery on Molenstraat. Just a hundred meters further along, the 12th Regiment of the Canadian liberators entered Den Ham. Only a stone’s throw away, at Molenstraat 25, stands the house from which the local resistance operated during the war years. Nearby are also the Stolpersteine that commemorate the Jewish residents of Den Ham who perished.
The liberation of Den Ham did not come without a fight. In several places, heavy fighting broke out, farms went up in flames, and German soldiers were taken prisoner. Much had already happened during the war: choices were made that saved lives, but also ones that cost lives. A small village with a big story. The Dutch-language “Codename Zipper” audio walk guides you through the wartime history of this village.