We are very excited and proud to announce that Explorica has partnered with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in celebration and commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands!
Each year since 1945, the Netherlands recognizes May 5th as a day to honour the anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands. During the commemorative festivities, Canadians are mentioned and honoured for their role in the liberating efforts, as many paid the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of freedom.
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Dutch Royal Family found refuge in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. During their time in Ottawa, Princess Juliana gave birth to Princess Margriet in a hospital room that was declared extraterritorial to ensure that the new princess would be a Dutch citizen, as required by her royal status.
Following the Royal Family’s return to the then-liberated Netherlands, Princess Juliana presented Canada with 100,000 tulips, the Dutch national flower. This wonderful gift became the Canadian Tulip Festival, the largest tulip festival in the world, that takes place annually in our nation’s capital.
As a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Explorica have partnered, along with the Canadian Tulip Festival, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and other partners, to cover Canada in 1.1 million ‘Liberation75’ tulip bulbs. This is in honour of the 1.1 million Canadians who took part in the war effort. As such, we are supporting the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the distribution of ‘Liberation75’ tulip bulbs to 1,100 schools across Canada, with each school receiving 75 tulip bulbs. These tulips provide a unique opportunity to teach another generation about the meaning and importance of Canada’s connection with the Netherlands, and as such, we are honoured to be a part of this partnership.
We are very excited to share more details with everyone as this all unfolds, so keep an eye on our blog, as well as our social media pages for pictures and updates!