Monument Prinsenpark Apeldoorn
With this monument, designer Ralph Prins wanted to commemorate the terrible fate of the residents of the Apeldoornsche Bosch institution, but he also wanted to emphasise the loving bond between the patients and the nursing staff at Het Apeldoornsche Bosch.
The terrible fate of the Jews is symbolised by the flames on the back of the monument. The yellow Star of David rests on top of the black cross of the psychiatric nurses. Beneath the circle are the date 22 January 1943 and lines from Ida Gerhardt’s poem Het carillon (1941):
Nooit heb ik
wat mij werd ontnomen
zo bitter bitter liefgehad
(Never have I
loved so bitter bitterly
what was taken away from me)
On both sides of the monument are plaquettes of stainless steel, placed at a slight angle, which bear the names and ages of the 1,258 victims.
