Be prepared for a long day of walking around trying to catch every detail on your SD-card, because Liberty Park is very large! The park is dedicated to WWII and has lots of interesting stuff on display both indoor and outdoor, although we got the idea the outdoor part depends on the season.
It all starts off in the park, where you can see a big Bailey Bridge built over a sandy road and a Russian IS-2 Heavy Tank set between the trees. Also there are a lot of sculptures and art installations about the war everywhere. Particularly interesting is a photo installation of Claudia Heinermann (project: Spuren Traces) which documents the work of the “Volksbund”, an organisation that is trying to recover German war graves and identify the remains of soldiers on the east front in Russia.
Walk around the building to see more interesting stuff. Not everything you see here is from WWII though. And do not wander on forbidden tracks..
Tanks of the Battle of Overloon
In the main visitors center, you can see a small exhibition about the Battle of Overloon with, among other things, some tanks that were used in the battle. These tanks on display here all wear the signs of the heavy fighting that took place and belong to both the Axis and the Allied forces, which gives the exhibit a greater sense of history.
Underneath is the heavily damaged Churchill Mk.V tank the “Jackal”. The tank hit a mine which killed two of the crew and wounded the others. After our visit to the museum we were contacted by relatives of the tanks driver, who could tell us more of what happened to the Jackal. Follow the link to read more about this.
National War and Resistance Museum
From here you enter what we supposed was the space of the “National War and Resistance Museum”. Here you can experience a more common exhibition about the Second World War with different themes like the holocaust and the Dutch Resistance. It has a very interesting exhibit about the political landscape in the period before and during the war. A little further down the hall they also have some diorama’s with military clothing and equipment on display. These show the painfully large contrast between the state of the Dutch Army and the German invaders.
The Marshall Museum
For us it really became interesting when we got to the Marshall museum (indoor) where the impressive Jaap de Groot collection is on display. These 10.000 square metres are filled with over more than a 150 vehicles and tanks of all sorts and sizes. Bolt by bolt, beautifully restored and all in a perfect driving condition, so they say. Here and there the items are displayed in nice diorama’s that try to show the context and depict the battles where the vehicles, planes, weapons and items where put to use.
Militracks Event
The museum also hosts a yearly event in Overloon called Militracks, where people can see tanks, half-tracks, vehicles, motorcycles. If you don’t mind to stand in line, you can experience these oldtimers firsthand by hitching a ride on one of them during a drive around the War Museum. Although the event grows busier every year, it has a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of stuff to see and do for the whole family.
Visit Liberty Park and War Museum Overloon
Liberty Park and the War Museum in Overloon are definitely worth a visit. The museum has a very extensive collection with a focus on Allied vehicles, tools, weapons, uniforms etc.
If you are only interested in German or Axis vehicles you might be a bit disappointed. The museum does have an iconic German 88 gun and a Hetzer tank destroyer on display. The Hetzer is an after war Swiss version.
For more information and opening hours visit www.oorlogsmuseum.nl/
