Kommelkwartier in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Herdenkingsplein (05): Hakenkruizen in de Grote Staat / Swastikas over the Grote Staat

Herdenkingsplein (5): Hakenkruizen in de Grote Staat / Swastikas over Grote Staat Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 27, 2023

1. Herdenkingsplein (5): Hakenkruizen in de Grote Staat / Swastikas over Grote Staat Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Hakenkruizen in de Grote Staat
Op 13 augustus 1942 hangen er in de binnenstad grote vlaggen met hakenkruizen. Die dag komt de NSB-voorman Anton Mussert naar Maastricht.

Twaalf dagen na Musserts bezoek vertrekt op 25 augustus 1942 vanuit Maastricht het eerste transport van Joodse inwoners uit Limburg op weg naar de vernietigingskampen.

(English translation:)
Swastikas Over the Grote Staat
On August 13, 1942, large flags with swastikas were hung in the city center. That day, NSB (Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging = Dutch Nazi party) leader Anton Mussert came to Maastricht.

Twelve days after Mussert's visit, the first transport of Jewish residents from Limburg departed from Maastricht on August 25, 1942, on its way to the extermination camps.

Erected 2022.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the The Holocaust series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 13, 1942.

Location. 50° 50.935′ N, 5° 40.928′ E. Marker is in Maastricht, Limburg. It is in Kommelkwartier. Memorial is on Herdenkingsplein, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Maastricht, Limburg 6211 PW, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At

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Excerpt: During the early stages of the German occupation, the Jews of Maastricht enjoyed the protection of the local police and a part of the general public. However, in September 1941, Jewish children were expelled from public schools and a Jewish elementary school was established. From June, 1942 through April, 1943 the majority of the Jews of Maastricht were apprehended, deported, and subsequently murdered. A number of Jews from the north of the Netherlands managed to find hiding places in the surroundings of Maastricht. One group of Jews that managed to flee from Maastricht across the border into Belgium was later betrayed and apprehended.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 27, 2023

2. Swastikas over the Grote Staat Marker
The subject marker is the fifth from the left.
The Maastricht synagogue was vandalized during the occupation and used as a storage place. Its furnishings were heavily damaged but a portion of its ceremonial objects were saved. In 1965, it was discovered that the community's archives also had been saved.

Jewish life in Maastricht resumed following the war...

(Submitted on February 11, 2024.)

Additional keywords. Holocaust

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 11, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.