The Liberation Route Hiking Trails and Vectors of Memory
Liberation Route Europe Foundation in cooperation with our members, hiking organisations across Europe, and the prominent Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind is launching a new system of commemorative Liberation Route Europe Hiking Trails (hLRE). With the first portions to launch in Spring 2021, the fully built system of trails will stretch more than 3,500 km through eight countries with hundreds of historic places and points of interest.
The Liberation Route Europe Foundation will debut an immersive. hiking experience with a digital route planner complemented by physical touristic hiking guides and maps. Working with our established tour operators, LRE will expand our current touristic offerings to new regions along the trails.
Daniel Libeskind, Architect
“This project has strength, as it is based on a simple thing – on the human foot. It does not require books, it does not require complex tools; it requires nothing more than to walk. These are the footsteps of the future, something that we all badly need against the oblivion of forgetting.”
Creating a network of trails and stories
Creating a high-quality network of hiking trails and stories is the cornerstone of the LRE’s hiking trails project plan. Not only will LRE’s trails serve as a unique transnational memorial, it aims to promote sustainable, remembrance tourism and economic development. These trails and the Vectors are a new way to experience remembrance sites, the history, and to preserve personal stories that dot the European landscape.
Learning history
To “learn history” along the trails, there needs to be high quality historical content to make the sites and landscapes come alive both on- and offline. Using a multi-perspective approach, we intend to collaborate with local historians along the trail to develop storylines, interpretation at remembrance sites, biographies, and personal stories.
Introducing the "Vectors of Memory" by Daniel Libeskind
We are proud of our partnership with renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, who designed a special family of four trail markers called the “Vectors”.
“The Vectors are a topography of memory. They function as points in both space and time, while connecting to the story of liberation. It is important that the markers communicate a very clear and bold message.” - Daniel Libeskind
Educating by living history
LRE’s Hiking Trails project puts the strengthening of European and transatlantic relations front and centre promoting the remembrance of our shared history and the remarkable stories of the liberation, traveling to remember the past, and how international cooperation can lead to unity and peace.
More importantly, it is a project for younger generations to leave a legacy and to learn from the lessons of the past – remembering how vulnerable our freedoms are. As such, it is an ideal way to integrate the Active Remembrance Youth Programme.
With this, we want to promote international exchange by bringing students from across Europe, the United States, and Canada together to learn about the liberation of Europe and to build the trail by placing our unique trail markers (“Vectors”) along the trails.LREF is an organisation that relies on awareness and has as a pillar educating a number of age groups and demographics.
As the final eyewitnesses and veterans of WWII are quickly becoming fewer, new and novel methods of memory transmission have become even more important.
Sponsorship opportunities : How to join?
The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II provides a moving occasion to start building the Liberation Route Europe Hiking Trails. Our aim is to find a balanced support from individuals, organizations, and businesses to make it a true transnational effort based on our shared history. The success of this project depends on your involvement and support.
Latest news about the LRE Hiking Trail
Contact
Chance Matthew Williams – Project Officer
