The village of Bennwihr, which paid a heavy price during the Second World War, was finally liberated on December 24, 1944. A liberation impatiently awaited by the local population – some 700 souls at the time – but a liberation experienced in the desolation of a village transformed into a pile of ruins after fierce fighting between the occupation troops and the liberation troops.
An immense relief for all those who, after the difficult ordeal in the cellars and the resulting privations, had to leave their village hastily under the intensity and violence of the fighting, a real deluge of iron and blood from 3 as of December 24, 1944.
This Friday, December 20, eighty years after these bloody events, Bennwihr will be remembered during an evening, at the initiative of the municipality and the History and Genealogy Society, in partnership with La Petite Vigne. The opportunity for those who experienced these moments to remember, and for the younger generations to discover the painful ordeals experienced by their elders.
The importance of transmission
On the program: at 6:30 p.m., Place de la Mairie, speech by Mayor Francis Donath, laying of wreaths at the war memorial and laying of lights by schoolchildren, tribute to the civilian victims of the Liberation battles by schoolchildren and national anthem by the musicians of the Hansi group. At the end of this ceremony in front of the Monument of Fidelity, the assembly will go to the cultural room where residents who experienced the destruction of the village will come and give their testimonies.
The historian Christophe Woehrlé will offer a conference allowing us to understand the historical context of the Colmar Pocket and the destruction of Bennwihr, to honor the memory of the inhabitants and fighters, and to promote the importance of transmission so that such events do not fall into oblivion. Accompanied by the Municipal Music of Ammerschwihr, this commemoration will continue around a glass of friendship.
Related News :