Keukenhof

visited on 10 May 2010
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Fireline/Brandgrens

Before my cycling days, my metrostation was the Gerdesiaweg stop. I'd get out to walk home at night and notice these glass discs in the sidewalk, glowing an eerie red. A string of them went by the station, in the direction of our apartment, each several feet apart. They soon crossed the street and turned the corner; I often wondered if I should follow them, what they would lead to. By day I'd have forgotten about them as they blended into the stone pavement but each night I wondered what they were as their red glow escorted me part of the way home.

A friend soon explained it was the fireline or as the Dutch call it, the Brandgrens. Before May 1940, the architecture of Rotterdam would have been identical to that found in Amsterdam. It is a modern city today because in May 1940, it was severely bombed by the Germans. The fire that resulted destroyed what the bombs hadn't already. Rotterdam was virtually flattened.

The Brandgrens today, ties Rotterdams modern streets with the memory of this fire. Memorials created since World War II have been thoughtful, even beautiful and this is now one of my favorites. In 2006 the Rotterdam City Council decided to permanently mark the perimeter of the fire, Adriaan Geuze of West 8 won the project. The first parts were unveiled May 14, 2009 and the 12km project is expected to be completed this May on the 70th year anniversary of the bombing.

The lights show within a flame the bombing of buildings and Ossip Zadkine's sculpture, De Verwoeste Stad (The Destroyed City), my other favorite memorial. Soon I will have my own photographs of this guy (along with a dedicated blog entry...I do love him), for now enjoy the borrowed one here.

I was at a friend's today who is friendly with someone at the Rotterdam Council. This person had prepared a slideshow about the history of the bombing, the destruction (including many before and after photos), maps of the perimeter and information of the memorials created since. It was fitting for today and the inspiration of today's blog. He had also given my friend a large print of the 2007 light installation by the Mothership, the Bombardement Periphery. The pictures are pretty impressive and the installation will remind anyone of the beams of light that in the past have shot into the sky to commemorate the twin towers. Here, the Mothership used 128 lights to outline the perimeter, sad to say this will not be repeated.

I should note that the Netherlands had quite a few holidays this week. I've mentioned Queens Day. Yesterday was Remembrance Day. At 8pm everyone stopped for two minutes of silence to honor those fallen during World War II. Today the Netherlands celebrates Liberation Day, marking the day, 65 years ago, when mostly Canadian troops liberated the country from Nazi Germany.

It's an humble day. Rotterdam today was created by these horrific events and exists as it does thanks to it. Nothing anyone should ever wish to happen again, but remember this anytime architecture is celebrated here or an art installation admired. Makes it even more precious, doesn't it?
Happy Bevrijdingsdag.