This mural is based on the liberation of Breda on October 29th 1944, by the Polish 1st Armoured Division, led by General Stanislaw Maczek. One of the most important historic events in Breda. We were on the hunt for a wall since last year (2018), around the Polish field of honour. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a wall that would do the story justice. The sidewall of De Teruggave (the former tax office) does. The 27-meter high mural is a tribute to the people that gave their lives for our freedom. The area surrounding De Teruggave was previously used as training grounds by the army, which makes this location even more special.
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Otecki aka Wojciech Kołacz took inspiration from a photo from Stadsarchief Breda (the city archives). The photo shows two young girls, Ria Vermeulen-Welten and Ineke van Wijck, who are writing messages on a Polish tank. Ria, who is now 92 years old, was at the unveiling on September 14th 2019.
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The mural is part of the Brabant Remembers project. Brabant Remembers tells personal stories about the Second World War. Big and small, about mobilisation, rebellion, collaboration or the liberation. Seventy-five stories surrounding a life-changing choice. Together with municipalities and partners, these stories are translated into an innovative and cultural programma in 2019-2020.
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- Blind Walls Gallery | 2019 -