Untitled (liberation memorial - gedenkteken bevrijding)

About this artwork.

Please note: this work will not be visible during the renovation of the town hall.
 
Tongues of flame and a crystal shape represent the text that can be read on the bronze commemorative plaque: “Then rose out of war and fire / the clear crystal of peace'”. This text describes the fierce battle that accompanied the liberation of the city of Groningen by Canadian forces. On 13 April 1945 the Canadians entered the city of Groningen. The battles around the Grote Markt were disastrous. While the Germans and the home guard with their guns entrenched themselves in buildings on the north and east wall, the Canadians took position on the south side of the Grote Markt. Artillery shelling set many historic buildings on fire and destroyed the heart of the city. On Monday 16 April the Canadians surrounded and cut off the city centre and broke through the last resistance.
 
Willem Valk played an active role in the artists' resistance during the Second World War. In the first decade after the war, Valk therefore was awarded commissions for more than 20 war memorials in Groningen and beyond.
 
Willem Valk was born in Zoeterwoude in 1898. Initially he was a silversmith, but from 1919 on, he focused on sculpture. In 1921 Valk came to Groningen, where he would give sculpting lessons at the Minerva Art Academy for 43 years. As an artist he has left a powerful mark on the sculpture of public works and buildings in the city.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Willem Valk

• District
  Centrum

• Art type
  Monument, Art in / on a building, Plaque

• Material
  Bronze

• Dimensions
  270