Fort Breendonk National Memorial, Belgium
NATIONAL MEMORIAL FORT BREENDONK
Belgium has not been spared the horror of Nazism and its concentration camps. The fortress of Breendonk is a moving and striking example. It is one of the best conserved camps in Europe.
Breendonk is only a dot on the gruesome map of concentration camps, but one which witnessed the same desire to annihilate the individual, which shared the same objective of enslaving and negating the human person. Between September 1940 and September 1944, around 3500 prisoners passed through Breendonk. The majesty of the site and its Dantesque appearance make it a symbol that perpetuates the memory of the suffering, the torture and the death of so many victims. Breendonk, although small in comparison with others, was nevertheless a camp that saw Nazi barbarity sink to its vilest depths.
Artist Tom Frantzen's work is titled Ode to the Resistance. A gigantic boot tries to trample the 'resistance', but the resistance only partially gives way, the dove stands for hope.
