Celebration of the liberation of the city of Utrecht on May 7 with the Polar Bears

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UTRECHT > After a rainy Remembrance Day, Utrecht celebrated the liberation of the city of Utrecht in the evening sun on May 7, 1945. The ceremony traditionally took place at the iconic ‘Polar Bear’ in the Hogelandsepark, at the end of Biltstraat. Deputy Mayor of Utrecht East, Eva Oosters and Katja van As Luitenant ter Zee 1 (LD) of the Royal Navy gave a speech, as did Derek Williams, Chairman of The Royal British Legion Holland Branch. About a hundred people attended the meeting.

Seventy-nine years ago, the British 49th West Riding Infantry Division, the so-called ‘Polar Bears’, entered the city to confirm the liberation. The Polar Bears entered the city of Utrecht via Biltstraat. That is why the statue faces east. Eva Oosters’ speech was all about preserving our freedom and the associated feeling of security. Oosters: ‘There are people who no longer feel safe because of their origin, religion, orientation or gender. She quoted Nelson Mandela: ‘To be free is not so much about breaking free from the chains that bind you, but about living in a way that respects others and increases the freedom of others.’ The personal touch in the speech of Katja van As, Lieutenant 1 (LD) of the Royal Navy, made it clear that she did not simply choose a career in Defense. A resistance and marine family history in both the Netherlands and the then Dutch East Indies contributed to this. Van As: “It was only much later that I realized that I inherited it from both sides of the family. As an afterthought, I no longer experienced my father actively serving. Still, I always played with my father’s navy cap, which was in the dressing up trunk…”

After placing flower arrangements at the Polar Bear monument, the parade of attendees took place accompanied by the Royal Brass Band Utrecht and everyone returned home.

About the Polar Bears

On May 7, 1945, the English 49th Regiment of Reconnaissance Troops ‘Polar Bears’ entered Utrecht via the Biltstraat and confirmed the liberation of the city. The memorial monument: a polar bear has stood in the Hogelandse Park since 1991. The polar bear looks in the direction of De Bilt, the direction from which the liberators entered the city. The polar bear monument, unveiled by Prince Bernhard, was made by sculptor Marie-José Wessels. The Polar Bears owes its name to the training in Iceland that the part of the British 49th West Riding Infantry Division, under the command of the 146th Infantry Brigade of the First Canadian Army, underwent.

About the Utrecht Committee May 4 – Commemoration The Utrecht Committee organizes, on behalf of the mayor, the urban commemoration on May 4 on the Domplein and in the Dom Church and the festive commemoration of the liberation of the city of Utrecht on May 7 in the Hogelandsepark.

More information can be found at: 4meiutrecht.nl