National Polish Cycling Route in the Netherlands
Pays-Bas
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The Polish army played an important role in the liberation of the Netherlands. This cycling route will take you across the country from Zeeland to Groningen, with several local routes at different locations, to discover the stories of the Polish army and follow in their footsteps.
The local route in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen will take you through parts of Zeeland where the the first allied forces entered the country on 16 of September 1944. Along the way you will discover the history of this region during World War II. The start and finish is the Gdynia museum, which displays a collection of many different items gathered during the fighting. From here you will encounter many other points of interest with intriguing stories, such as the “General on the Westerschelde Estatuary”, which honors the Polish Liberators and General Maczek.
From Zeeland you will cycle on the exact same route as the Polish forces took and therefore will take you through Belgium to continue on to Breda in the North-Brabant province. In and around Breda you will see many different sites, like the Maczek Memorial, where the story of the 1st Polish Army is further explored. There is a specific attention on General Stanislaw Maczek, commander of the 1st Polish Armoured division, who liberated Breda with as few civilian casualties as possible. On the route you will encounter a German Panther tank, which was donated by the Polish liberators as a thank you gift for the warm relationship between the Polish soldiers and the people of Breda.
From Breda the route continues to Driel-Oosterbeek in Gelderland, where the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade fought. The route passes over the landing sites of the parachute brigade and past the headquarters of Stanislaw Sosabowski. Before liberating Northern parts of the Netherlands, the Polish forces went into Germany to enter the Netherlands from the east again. Continuing North, there are different points of interest to discover, quite some of them related to Polish pilots and aircrew who's airplanes got shot above the Netherlands. Two other local routes, one in Drenthe and one in Groningen, show the last push of the Polish soldiers during the liberation of the Netherlands.
There are many more stories an sites to discover, step on your bicycle and follow in the footsteps of the Polish Liberators.
