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Netherlands

North Brabant

Breda

The Flight Memorial

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Places to see

Netherlands

North Brabant

Breda

The Flight Memorial

17 people recommended this place

Recommended by 17 hikers out of 19

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Location: Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands

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Best Hikes to The Flight Memorial

4.6

(45)

273

hikers

1. Turfven, Mastbos – Turfven loop from Breda

13.8km

03:29

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.7

(40)

232

hikers

2. Turfven – Turfven, Mastbos loop from Ginneken

14.2km

03:35

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.3

(16)

193

hikers

3. Begijnhof Breda – Castle of Breda loop from Breda

6.49km

01:39

10m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Tips

Katrien

January 19, 2025

Hein Koreman did not make the statue as a war memorial, but exhibited his work for the purchase by Breda at the Keukenhof. At that exhibition in 1954 it won third prize.

This statue evoked memories for many in Breda of May 1940, when the population fled from the approaching Germans. The statue was increasingly called The Flight and thus became a war memorial. It has stood in various places: Parkstraat (1955-1959), Ginnekenstraat (1959-1965), Police station Markendaalseweg (1965-1999), Breda. In the Ginnekenstraat it stood in front of the Maria Hemelvaartkerk until it was demolished in 1967. At the request of the Oranjecomité and the ‘Comité 4/5 mei‘ the statue was given a prominent role in 1999 at the commemoration of the dead on 4 May, when many flowers are laid at the monument. It was carefully restored by the artist's sons and reinstalled in Valkenberg Park in April 1999.

The statue is timeless and still relevant. It shows the torn nature of people who have to leave the familiar behind. In addition to many refugees from war zones, there are also more and more people who have to leave their homes due to poverty, political reasons or climate change. This means that the statue can also be projected onto the current refugee flows in the world.

In July 2021, Radio 4 announced a prize for the most beautiful outdoor artwork in the South of the Netherlands with the program 'De Ochtend van 4'. The artworks were submitted by listeners themselves and there were 12 nominees. For Breda, this was De Vlucht by Hein Koreman. There were 40,072 votes in total. De Vlucht finished in a creditable second place with 22% of the votes.

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Philip 🥾🇳🇱

May 18, 2024

This Monument commemorates the 'Flight of Breda'. On May 12, 1940, the residents of Breda had to flee because Breda threatened to become a battlefield. The fighting between the Germans and the Dutch together with the French was at that time around Breda. 112 people died in the Breda flight. (Source: tracesofwar.nl)

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Elevation 10 m

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Sunday 5 October

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Location: Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands

The Flight Memorial

1. Turfven, Mastbos – Turfven loop from Breda

2. Turfven – Turfven, Mastbos loop from Ginneken

3. Begijnhof Breda – Castle of Breda loop from Breda

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