Statue for Truus Wijsmuller, the heroine from Alkmaar
Truus Wijsmuller-Meier (1896-1978) was a great resistance heroine. She was born in Alkmaar. She spent her teenage years on the Mient, diagonally opposite the statue, now 'restaurant 1480'. An ordinary woman, but with the courage of a lioness when push came to shove.
After Kristallnacht on November 9/10, 1938, Jewish citizens no longer felt safe in their lives in Germany and Austria. Truus organized 'children's transports'. She received permission from Adolf Eichmann, who at the time had to lead the deportation of Jewish citizens from Austria, to take the mostly Jewish children to safety.
Ultimately, she saves 10,000 children from Germany, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. They went to England via Hoek van Holland. From there to other safe countries in the world. Many ended up in the United States and later in Israel. Truus has 28 children around him. In Jewish culture, that number represents 'strength', 'home' and 'safe'.
The statue was made by the sculptors Annet Terberg and Lea van Wijnhoven from IJsselstein. The costs of the statue, the pedestal and the lighting were paid for with many donations from citizens and companies, funds, the Municipality of Alkmaar and the Historical Association of Alkmaar.
On the edge of the pedestal is written in four languages “Aunt Truus, mother of 1001 children”, after the text in the obituary, with which the adult transport children honored Truus at her death in 1978.