Draft:The Dutch Maiden (monument)
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National Monument 'De Nederlandse Maagd'
The National Monument 'De Nederlandse Maagd' is located in Eede, Zeelandic Flanders, Netherlands, and commemorates the event of March 13, 1945, when Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands first set foot on Dutch soil since her departure to London.
Background
[edit]On May 13, 1940, three days after German troops invaded the Netherlands, Queen Wilhelmina fled to England aboard the British destroyer H.M.S. Hereward. She remained in exile in Britain for the duration of the German occupation. After the southern Netherlands was liberated in the summer of 1944, plans were made for the Queen to visit the liberated areas. These plans were realized in March 1945. On March 13, the Queen crossed the Belgian-Dutch border near Eede. In her autobiography Eenzaam maar niet alleen, she described this event as "one of the greatest events of my life."
The Statue
[edit]Soon after the war, plans emerged to commemorate the event with a monument. In the early 1950s, a commission was given to sculptor Peter Roovers (1902-1993). He designed a column topped with a standing figure of the Dutch Maiden holding the Dutch national coat of arms. The column is three meters tall, with the statue itself measuring 1.80 meters. Roovers described the monument as follows:
"If something special happens somewhere, and one wishes not to forget it, one would, primitively speaking, drive a post into the ground and inscribe the event - Here it happened. - Thus, in Eede, a large post (in this case an obelisk), with a decoration of a girl bringing the royal coat of arms back to the Netherlands."
On the pedestal, the inscription reads: "HERE ON MARCH 13, 1945, OUR LAND'S LADY RETURNED TO HER PEOPLE." The statue was unveiled on March 13, 1954, by Queen Juliana.
Later Additions
[edit]In 1984, three components were added to the monument: an Allied tracked vehicle, a plaque with the names of Canadian regiments that fought in the area, and a plaque with the names of forty war casualties from the former municipality of Aardenburg. In March 2005, various activities took place in Eede to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Wilhelmina’s border crossing.
See also
[edit]51°14′51.49″N 3°27′0.29″E / 51.2476361°N 3.4500806°E