Themed route

Walking route: Harlingen and the Canadian liberators - The battle for freedom

The Netherlands

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Type

Hiking

Distance

33.08 km

In April 1945, German troops were evacuated en masse to North Holland via Harlingen harbour. The occupying forces therefore wanted to hold the town for as long as possible. Thanks in part to information from the resistance and Canadian scouts, the locations of the Germans were known. The Canadian artillery was therefore able to eliminate almost all major targets without causing major damage to the city. The Canadian troops then advanced determinedly towards the centre and port of the Harlingen. The liberation of the city ended the German evacuation by water.

This walking route takes you through Harlingen and to the surrounding villages of Herbaijum, Wijnaldum and Midlum, all of which played a role in the final chapter of the war. Along the way, you will walk along Harlingen's Dokkade, where German troops were disarmed and taken away after the liberation of the city. In the centre of Harlingen, you will hear poignant stories from locals about the occupation and the fighting before liberation. The route outside the city combines the Frisian landscape with stories in Herbaijum, Midlum and Wijnaldum, among others, where you will find some war graves - a reminder of the price of freedom.  

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Address

Harlingen, Nederland

Sites and stories along the route