PvH Oolog monument Martinikerk Sneek

War Memorial at the Martini Church

Temporary monument

Soon after the Second World War, a temporary memorial column was erected in Sneek. This contained the 49 names of those who had perished during the occupation years. The memorial column stood on the spot where in Sneek the consequences of the violence of war were most visible. That was the spot where De Waag had stood, the Waagplein, on the corner of the Marktstraat and the Leeuwenburg. During the war, the building was used by the occupying forces as an ammunition depot. When the German military began retreating on Saturday, April 14, 1945, they fired on the monumental building. This was to prevent the supplies stored there from falling into the hands of the Allies.

The monument on Waagplein was a temporary one. Pending the erection of a permanent monument, it fulfilled the need of many Snekers for a place to commemorate those who perished. When it became clear that the definitive monument would be in the garden of the Martini Church, the temporary monument was moved to a place near that church. It came to stand on the Oud Kerkhof, next to the then fire station (now Martinistate).

War Memorial

During the Commemoration of the Dead on May 4, 1950, Sneek's war monument was unveiled. The monument near the Martinikerk reminds us of the suffering endured during the occupation. At the same time, the monument also commemorates the liberation of the city on April 15, 1945.

The memorial was designed by sculptor Willem J. Valk, in collaboration with the Sneker architect A. Goodijk. The monument consists of a female figure about two and a half meters high, carved from French limestone. By her posture, the figure expresses feelings of reverence for those who fell during the war years - Sneker citizens who, as the ribbon of honor worn by her indicates, made their sacrifice "faithfully unto death. The unveiling of the monument was done by Meta Lever from Sneek. Her father and two brothers died as resistance fighters during the war.

Three plaques were attached to the war memorial in 2007. The first plaque is in memory of all those who died in war situations and peace operations around the world. The second plaque was placed in memory of the four fallen during the Sneker Bloednacht of July 13-14, 1944. The third plaque commemorates the eight Sneker residents who perished in the former Dutch East Indies in the period 1945-1950.