We have once again put together a great program for our annual adopters day. This year it will take place on Sunday, October 6, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM (entry from 12:30 PM).
A number of interesting external and internal speakers have promised their participation:
Lars Rustenburg, director of the Medemblik War Museum, explains how his organization has developed into a successful, well-attended and active museum. And what obstacles he had to overcome to achieve this.
Alex Engbers, (former Chairman of the Soviet War Cemetery Foundation) takes you through the development of the War Cemetery and our Foundation: from a forgotten war cemetery to a museum of its own. How did we manage to get this far?
Remco Reiding, (director Soviet War Cemetery Foundation) provides an update on the state of affairs regarding the realization of the museum
And our keynote speaker is Niels Drost, Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute. He will discuss the importance of the Second World War in the former Soviet Union and the importance of the activities of our Foundation, now and in the future. Can the Foundation even contribute to the connection and reconciliation of Ukrainian and Russian communities?
Of course, after the official program there will be plenty of opportunity to catch up with a snack and a drink and to get to know new people.
Registration is necessary and can be done via: bijeenkomsten@sovjet-ereveld.nl (stating name and number of people).
The adopters’ day is for adopters, donors and volunteers of the Soviet War Cemetery Foundation only. You can bring your partner or a guest if enough seats are available.
More about the external speakers
Photo Simone BothNiels Drost (28) is a Research Fellow at the Russia & Eastern Europe Centre and the Security Unit of the Clingendael Institute. Clingendael is a think tank for international relations and a training institute for diplomats. Drost studied International Studies and Journalism and previously worked for RTV Utrecht, where he already wrote a report on the Soviet War Cemetery.
Last year, Drost and his colleague Christopher Houtkamp researched the Ukrainian and Russian communities in the Netherlands. In his report he described the Soviet War Cemetery Foundation as ‘the most important organization in the Netherlands that serves both the Russian and Ukrainian communities and is not specifically part of either community’. When the time is right, the Foundation will be ‘ideally suited for a mediating role’.
Drost will discuss the importance that the former Soviet republics attach to World War II and why they value the work of the Soviet War Cemetery Foundation so highly. He will also discuss with you the importance of the Foundation’s work now and in the future.
Lars Rustenburg (29) is one of the driving forces behind the Medemblik War Museum. As a 14-year-old, he worked with his father on a World War II jeep. Interest in the war and war vehicles is growing. In 2017, his parents opened the doors of Educational WWII Centre Medemblik, now War Museum Medemblik. In recent years, with Lars as director, the museum has experienced a tremendous growth in the number of visitors. Lars explains how his team managed to accomplish this.
