2nd Walk in Freedom with almost 1000 participants

Following last year's success, the second Walk in Freedom took place last Sunday with almost 1000 Dutch and German participants. The run commemorated the destruction of Bocholt, but also the liberation from the National Socialist regime after the Second World War.

The organisation team around the Dutch Stichting DinXperience and the German citizens' initiative Dinxperwick e.V. offered four routes between 5 and 30 km, so that both experienced hikers and families with younger children got their money's worth. From the starting point in Dinxperlo on Europastraat, the route headed towards Bocholt. Along the way, participants were able to learn about the history and coexistence of Dinxperlo and Suderwick via memorial plaques and audio stations.

The Walk in Freedom will also take place in the following years, namely in 2027 in the direction of Aalten, in 2028 in the direction of Varsseveld and in 2029 in the direction of Anholt. According to the organising team, this will create a cloverleaf. In 2030, the historic original route of the Liberators will be walked again, as it was in 2025, with the cloverleaf not only symbolising happiness, but also representing the core values of freedom, hope and overcoming borders between people and places.

The feedback from participants in this year's cross-border freedom run was consistently positive. Participants of all ages praised the peace-building initiative and held out the prospect of taking part in future years.

The city of Bocholt and the municipality of Aalten supported the project along with other sponsors. Sonja Wießmeier from EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt is also delighted "that the run is once again being made possible by the Interreg Germany-Netherlands programme and its programme partners and co-financed by the European Union (EU)."

About the EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt

EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt is part of the Mayor's Office of the City of Bocholt and is the local contact point for questions relating to the European Union. Its task is to provide local citizens with information, advice, help and answers to questions about Europe. In addition, EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt aims to promote European involvement and provide information on current European political events.