Rotterdam, 19 April 2025
From Sunday, 11 May to Wednesday, 14 May, Erik van Loon, Director of Rotterdamse Festivals, is organizing the international “Four Days In May” commemorative event for the second consecutive year. With 17 commemorative events taking place in four cities, victims of bombings around the world will be honored this year. In 2024, the victims of bombings were remembered in Rome, Zurich, Paris, and Rotterdam with the poem Vision Of Rotterdam by the American poet Gregory Corso. This year, in Berlin, Warsaw, Hengelo, and Rotterdam, the victims of bombings worldwide will be commemorated – this time with the poem Und Was Bekam Des Soldaten Weib? by Bertolt Brecht.
“Four Days In May” – International Commemoration
The international commemorative event “Four Days In May” originated in 2024 from the annual 14 May commemoration at the fire line in Rotterdam. The aim of this initiative is that, each year from 10 to 14 May, not only are the victims of the bombing in Rotterdam remembered, but so are those in other cities around the world.
A Special Stop
Date and Time: 13 May, from 18:15 to 20:00
On the return journey from Warsaw to Rotterdam, the Poetry Train in 2025 will make a brief stop in Hengelo. There, Erik van Loon will organize a short city tour that highlights the impressive history of this severely affected city. The tour, led by Hans de Gruil—cultural heritage expert of Museum Hengelo—begins at the April–May Strike Monument at the back of the station and passes, among other landmarks, the former Stork-Vereinsgebäude, continuing into the city centre. Afterwards, participants will visit Museum Hengelo, and before boarding the train again, they will have the opportunity to light a candle at the St. Lambertus Basilica in memory of both the victims of the April–May Strikes and the victims of the 42 bombings in Hengelo.
Hengelo at a Glance
Hengelo was bombed an incredible 42 times. The most intense bombings took place on the night of 6 to 7 October 1944. These were targeted bombings aimed at making the rail transport of military equipment to and from Germany impossible. The main targets of these attacks were the Hengelo station and the neighbouring industrial areas on the southern side, as two railway lines lead from this station into Germany—one via Oldenzaal in the north and one via Enschede in the south. Not only were the station and its surrounding industrial areas severely affected, but the residential neighbourhoods adjacent to the Hengelo station were also heavily damaged. Ultimately, only the St. Lambertiuskirche remained in the historic centre as a silent witness.
April–May Strikes
The walk begins at the April–May Strike Monument, which commemorates the great nationwide strike from 29 April to 3 May 1943. During this strike, 500,000 Dutch citizens stopped working after German General Christiansen announced that all 300,000 former soldiers of the Dutch Army were to be taken prisoner again and employed in German factories. The strike began shortly thereafter, on Thursday, 29 April 1943, just after 1:30 p.m. at the Stork machine factory in Hengelo, and quickly spread throughout the Netherlands. The Nazis responded ruthlessly to this massive protest: 80 Dutch citizens were killed by firing squads, 95 died in street shootings, and 25 in penal camps. In reaction to these harsh reprisals, the number of Dutch people actively joining the resistance or going into hiding increased.
Radio Ban
On 13 May, two weeks after the great April–May Strikes, the German occupier banned, among others, Radio Oranje and the BBC. In addition, citizens were required to surrender their radio receivers at locations designated by the local authorities.
Stork-Vereinsgebäude
The second station is the Stork-Vereinsgebäude. This red-brick building, adorned with sandstone details, was built in 1893 on the occasion of the silver jubilee of the Hengelo factory – for the benefit of the employees of the Stork machine factory. It was here that the strikes began, and the Stork machine factories, together with the adjacent Hengelo station, became targets of the deliberate bombings. In these factories, turbines for the German fleet and gas-compressing pumps for the V‑1 bombs were produced. On 19 May 1943, two weeks after the strikes were brutally suppressed, Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart personally visited the Stork factory hall, where he addressed the staff for an hour and a half standing next to a large machine (video).
Museum Hengelo
Museum Hengelo functions as a knowledge centre for local history. It tells forgotten personal stories and illustrates the development of the city over the years. Founded in 1973 and housed in a characteristic mansion (originally a shop-and-residential building from around 1880), the museum preserves authentic elements from the 19th century, such as original display cases, stained glass windows, and stucco work.
St. Lambertus Basilica
During the bombings in Hengelo, the St. Lambertus Basilica was miraculously spared, although its neo-Gothic restoration took three years. Built between 1889 and 1890 by G. te Riele Wzn., the church boasts beautiful stained glass windows from the atelier of F. Nicolas et Fils in Roermond as well as sculptures from the atelier of Mengelberg. During the commemorative event, visitors will have the opportunity to light a candle in memory of both the victims of the April–May Strikes and the victims of the 42 bombings in Hengelo.
Berlin, Warsaw, Rotterdam
In addition to the short programme in Hengelo, Four Days In May 2025 also includes an extensive day programme in Berlin, Warsaw, and Rotterdam:
Berlin – 11 May
Six Commemorative Events: The day begins with an opening at the Anti‑Kriegsmuseum. This is followed by a special poetry cycling tour—from Checkpoint Charlie, via the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, all the way to the Brecht‑Weigel‑Haus. There, visitors will participate in the jubilee programme at the Literatur Forum in the Brecht Haus and the Berliner Ensemble on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Helene Weigel—the widow of Bertolt Brecht.
Warsaw – 12 May
Six Commemorative Events: The day kicks off with two lectures. The first lecture outlines the four major bombings of Warsaw in September 1939, while the second lecture at the Polin Museum covers the Warsaw Ghetto uprising (from 19 April to 16 May 1943). The evening concludes, as in Berlin, with an open stage where peace and anti‑war poems, songs, and stories are performed.
Rotterdam – 14 May
Six Commemorative Events: The highlight of the Four Days In May commemorative event is the memorial poem Und Was Bekam Des Soldaten Weib? recited in various languages at 85 street corners along the fire line. In addition, the poet … from Hengelo will participate. Furthermore, the final day begins with a lecture on the victims of the four-day war of 1940. During that war—which ended with the devastating bombing of Rotterdam—1,173 people lost their lives. In the following years of occupation, over 250,000 more Dutch victims were added, the majority of whom were of Jewish descent. (See overview!) Four Days In May 2025 will conclude with a special edition of Radio Oranje covering the final years of the war, followed—just as in Berlin and Warsaw—by an open stage.
More Information and Registration:
• www.14mei.nl (Rotterdam)
• www.museumhengelo.nl (Hengelo)
Press Contact:
Erik van Loon | Stichting 14 Mei Email: stichting14mei@gmail.com | Phone: +31 6 3826 5666
Hans de Gruil | Museum Hengelo Phone: +31 6 2317 3872