Tours 
Photos by Rosa Meininger
Polish artist Otecki has been working on his mural at De Teruggave for almost two weeks now. It’s the highest mural in our collection so far! The mural will be unveiled on Saturday, September 14th, at 10:00 AM.
The mural is based on the liberation of Breda on October 29th 1944, by the Polish 1st Armoured Division, led by General Stanislaw Maczek. One of the most important historic events in Breda. We were on the hunt for a wall last year, around the Polish field of honour. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a wall that would do the story justice. The sidewall of De Teruggave (the former tax office) does. The 27-meter high mural is a tribute to the people that gave their lives for our freedom. The area surrounding De Teruggave was previously used as training grounds by the army, which makes this location even more special.
Otecki aka Wojciech Kołacz took inspiration from a photo from Stadsarchief Breda (the city archives). The photo shows two young girls, Ria Vermeulen-Welten and Ineke van Wijck, who are writing messages on a Polish tank. Ria, who is now 92 years old, will also be at the unveiling.
“We invited Wojciech because his work reminds me of Slavic folk art. It’s important that the mural will project a typical Polish vibe. Besides that, Wojciech works very thoroughly. He researched the theme himself but also cleans the algae off the wall before he can start painting. His attention to detail does justice to the story. I’m expecting an amazing tribute and a new landmark in Breda.” – Dennis Elbers, founder of Blind Walls Gallery
The unveiling of the mural takes place during the opening of the Open Monumenten Dagen. During the opening, DansNest will perform a specially choreographed dance, which they based on the mural. The performance, called ‘VRIJ!‘, will be repeated four times that day, at 11:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00.
The mural is part of the Brabant Remembers project. Brabant Remembers tells personal stories about the Second World War. Big and small, about mobilisation, rebellion, collaboration or the liberation. Seventy-five stories surrounding a life-changing choice. Together with municipalities and partners, these stories are translated into an innovative and cultural programma in 2019-2020.
The mural is supported by Gemeente Breda and vfonds.
Join the Facebook event for the unveiling here.
