The Head of State will be present in Strasbourg this Saturday, November 23 to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of Alsace, which occurred 80 years earlier to the day. Follow the ceremony live from 11:15 a.m. in this article, on Ici Alsace and on France.tv.
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On November 23, 1944, General Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division managed to push the German army back beyond the Rhine. 80 years later, the Alsatian capital and the French state are celebrating the anniversary of this event with great pomp. The ceremony will take place in the presence of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron. The Head of State will visit four emblematic places of the Second World War around the Alsatian capital.
He will begin the day with a military ceremony on Place Broglie, at 11:30 a.m. On the program for the Head of State: the traditional Marseillaise, the review of the troops, the laying of wreaths in front of Marshal Leclerc's column, the ringing of the dead. There will then be a minute of silence, before a rendition of the national anthem by the Choir of the Opéra national du Rhin. Finally, Emmanuel Macron will award decorations to veterans of the Second World War.
Once this ceremony is completed at Place Broglie, the president will go to the March Bloch aula of the Palais Universitaire to deliver a speech. This is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. Emmanuel Macron will finally go to the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp.
15 minutes before the military ceremony with the Head of State, nearly 200 dancers must perform a choreography evoking the fulfillment of the Oath of Kufra, this promise made by General Leclerc three years before the liberation: “We swear to only lay down our arms when our colors, our beautiful colors, float over Strasbourg Cathedral“. A blue, white and red flag will be hung on the spire of the cathedral.
The original flag raised in 1944 at the top of the building is in the historical museum, which opens its doors free of charge on Saturday and Sunday. Three thematic visits are scheduled at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday.
A liberation ball will be organized from 7 p.m. at the Salle de la Bourse, a festive evening in period dress (free entry, subject to availability upon registration). The Strasbourg Philharmonic Choir will perform in Notre-Dame Cathedral at 8:30 p.m.
Follow the ceremony live at the top of this article, on france.tv and on Ici Alsace from 11:15 a.m.
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