This Monday marks eighty years since Delft was liberated from the German occupiers. To commemorate this, everyone is welcome to take part in a special weekend program hosted at the D.S.C. student association on Phoenixstraat in Delft.
The home of the traditional student association, the ‘Phoenix’ society, served as a meeting place for the student resistance at the start of World War II. On Saturday and Sunday, members of the association will lead guided tours through the building, reflecting on its wartime history.
But there’s more than just tours. Locals from Delft will share wartime stories, city walks through Jewish Delft will depart from the society, and there will be lectures, spoken word performances, live music, and a continuous exhibition of wartime photographs. The Saturday program concludes with a “freedom meal,” attended by Mayor Marja van Bijsterveldt.
VrijVertelt
The weekend is organized by Vrij Vertelt (English: Free Telling), a joint initiative of the public library DOK and the cultural foundation DelftsPeil. It is part of a broader program running throughout 2025. The central theme, according to project leader Omri Althuis, is collecting stories from people who lived through the war. Some of these stories will be on display at the library on Thursday, May 8, and Friday, May 9.
The liberation program is free to attend on both Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4. Only the freedom meal on Saturday evening requires registration.
Want to learn more about the year-long program? Visit the websites of DOK or DelftsPeil.
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