Friesland commemorates WWI Belgian refugees with peace monument

A peace monument has been unveiled in Gaasterland, Friesland, Netherlands, to honor the approximately 2,300 Belgian soldiers who found refuge there during World War I. This initiative seeks to ensure that their largely forgotten story is not lost to history.

During the Great War, around 1 million Belgians, fearing the violence and atrocities of the German occupation, fled to the neutral Netherlands. Among them were 35,000 Belgian soldiers, many of whom were housed in internment camps. In Gaasterland, these soldiers lived in farms, barracks, and tents, and with local families, significantly impacting the small community of 6,500 inhabitants.

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What appeals to me are the similarities with the situation we know now. There are many wars and many people suffering from them. They seek refuge in other countries.

Initiator Henk Luyckx, whose grandfather was one of the Belgian refugees, highlighted the initial challenges of integrating so many newcomers with different customs. The monument's unveiling was attended by Belgian Ambassador to the Netherlands Koen Adam, who drew parallels between the WWI refugee situation and contemporary global displacement. "What appeals to me are the similarities with the situation we know now. There are many wars and many people suffering from them. They seek refuge in other countries," Adam stated.

Luyckx emphasized the importance of passing this history to future generations, stating, "If the Belgian soldiers had not been received so generously in Gaasterland, I would not be standing here now." The monument serves as a reminder of past humanitarian efforts and a call for continued empathy in the face of current global conflicts.

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If the Belgian soldiers had not been received so generously in Gaasterland, I would not be standing here now.