Geuzenveld-Slotermeer in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe
Willem Kraan
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 25, 2022
1. Willem Kraan Marker
Amsterdam, 2 augustus 1909 - Soesterberg, 19 november 1942
Stratenmaker Willem Kraan was lid van de illegale communistische partij CPN. Hij was in februari 1941 getuige van de arrestatie van vierhonderd Joodse mannen. Samen met zijn vriend Piet Nak beraamde hij een proteststaking. Deze tweedaagse Februaristaking werd het enige massale protest tegen de Jodenvervolging in Europa. Een unieke staking die door de bezetter met veel geweld werd neergeslagen. Ook hierna bleef Kraan actief in het verzet. Op 16 november 1941 werd hij gearresteerd. Vanuit de gevangenis schreef hij zijn vrouw of ze de feestdagen zo plezierig mogelijk wilde doorbrengen met hun dochtertje. "En duizend zoentjes toe,"sloot hij af. Een jaar later werd Kraan samen met 32 anderen op het vliegveld Soesterberg geëxecuteerd. In deze straat die naar hem is vernoemd, staat ook het monument De Antifascist ter ere van zijn moed.
Road builder Willem Kraan was a member of the illegal communist party, the CPN. In February 1941 he witnessed the arrest of four
this page online
Erected by Geef Straten Een Gezicht.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Labor Unions • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Give Streets a Face / Geef Straten Een Gezicht, and the Heroes of the Dutch Resistance (GSEG) series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is November 19, 1942.
Location. 52° 22.77′ N, 4° 49.43′ E. Marker is in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland (North Holland). It is in Geuzenveld-Slotermeer. Memorial is at the intersection of Willem Kraanstraat and Jan de Jonghstraat, on the right when traveling south on Willem Kraanstraat. Touch for map
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 25, 2022
2. Willem Kraan Marker - wide view
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Jan de Jongh (a few steps from this marker); Sape Kuiper (within shouting distance of this marker); Arend Bontekoe (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Johan Schippers (about 120 meters away); Hugo Ruys (about 150 meters away); Cornelis van Rij (about 150 meters away); Vrijheidscarillon / Freedom Carillon (about 180 meters away); Krijn Breuer (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amsterdam.
Also see . . .
1. Bijzondere documenten Februaristaker Willem Kraan (Amsterdam City Archives, in Dutch). Introduction to the city archives' files on Willem Kraan.
On how the strike came to be (in translation): "Willem Kraan's parents lived near the Nieuwmarkt, close to the Jewish quarter. On Sunday, February 23, Willem Kraan was just visiting there when the Germans began to round up Jews with brute force. Later that day, crying, he told his friend Piet Nak what he had seen. Together they then devised a plan for a protest strike. The two cycled throughout the city to get colleagues on their feet. They first wanted to shut down the tram, the Municipal Cleaning Service or even the entire Public Works(Submitted on October 11, 2022.)department. Then the rest of Amsterdam would follow suit...."Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 25, 20223. Willem Kraan Marker - wider view
2. February strike (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: "The February strike (Dutch: Februaristaking) was a general strike in the German-occupied Netherlands in 1941, during World War II, organised by the then-outlawed Communist Party of the Netherlands in defence of persecuted Dutch Jews and against the anti-Jewish measures and activities of the Nazis in general....The direct causes were a series of arrests and pogroms held by the Germans in the Jewish neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the Jodenbuurt. It started on 25 February 1941 and lasted for two days; on 26 February, 300,000 Amsterdam people joined the strike. The strike was harshly suppressed by the Germans after three days....The 1941 February Strike is considered to be the first public protest against the Nazis in occupied Europe, and the only mass protest against the deportation of Jews to be organized by non-Jews."(Submitted on October 11, 2022.)
Ron Kroon, courtesy of the Dutch National Archives (via Wikimedia Commons), February 26, 1966
4. Widow of resistance fighter Willem Kraan unveiled a bust called 'The Antifascist'...
Complete title (in translation): The widow of resistance fighter Willem Kraan unveiled a bust called 'The Antifascist' in memory of her husband in Amsterdam-Slotermeer
Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 116 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
