Heritage Day In Vinkt: Keep The Memory Alive

In May 1940 – at the beginning of the Second World War – the small town of Vinkt in the Belgian province of East-Flanders became the scene of a most gruesome event. During the violent combat in Vinkt and neighboring Meigem, many people on both sides of the front were killed. In the resulting chaos and confusion, the German soldiers vented their rage on the civilian population. In the space of just a few days, 140 innocent civilians perished.
On the occasion of Heritage Day on 13 September last, the Ename Center unfolded the plans to establish a 'Centre for Reflection’ that will open its doors next year.

Visitors were shown a presentation of an interactive data base that will be housed in the ‘Centre for Reflection’. It will be searchable on places, victims’ names and key events. A trailer of a ‘reflection movie’ about the events of the May Days in Vinkt and Meigem was also projected. The Ename Center deals with this difficult war heritage without passing judgment and with a lot of thought for the local population and the victims’ next of kin.

The establishment of this ‘Centre for Reflection’ is a joint project of the local nonprofit organisation Vinkt May 1940 and the Ename Center, with financial support from the Province of East-Flanders. This project in Vinkt should keep the memory of the May Days of 1940 alive and pass it on to the next generations. It also wishes to emphasize the universal significance of the question about ‘what man can do’.

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