Liberation Wood Groningen

To honor and thank the Canadian veterans of the Second Canadian Infantry Division, which, led by General AB Matthews, liberated the city between 13 and 16 April 1945, there is the "Liberation Wood" in Groningen. This forest will honors the sacrifices that Canadians, Poles, Belgians, Brits, Australians, New Zealanders and other foreign troops and the Dutch resistance fighters brought for freedom.

The Liberation Wood in Groningen consists of 30,000 maples. The maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada. The Maple Leaf Path, the entrance of the forest, is planted with maple trees, a gift from the Canadian liberators. Here is also an information sign and a map of the forest.

In the pond of the forest the 'Honorary sign for the Canadian liberators' was placed on May 6, 2005. This monument was designed by landscape architect Robin de Krijger. A steel pole emerges from the water, from which a leaf emerges. It is a four by four meter rust-colored image of corten steel in the shape of a maple leaf, the national symbol of Canada. The right side of the maple leaf seems to curl up, but they are pigeons that emerge from the leaf and fly up.

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