New concept called “Vectors” designed by Daniel Libeskind to bring tangible dimension to Liberation Route
In the official European premiere, Daniel Libeskind and Liberation Route Europe Foundation have announced their cooperation around a unique transnational memorial which will unite, for the first time, countries, regions, important sites, milestones, and stories in the last phase of World War II. Using a series of markers called “Vectors,” this trail will combine Libeskind’s world-renowned and innovative practice with Liberation Route Europe’s strong network of engaged partners throughout Europe. Those joined forces will create a sustainable connection based on a shared European history.
To be inaugurated in 2020, and stretching almost 3,000 km from London to Berlin with various branches, while passing through hundreds of points of interest, the route is the culmination of years of work and planning. It will offer a very special momentum at a time when Europe is commemorating 75 years after WWII. Inspired by the ideals of Liberation Route Europe Foundation, Libeskind’s design for the markers evokes the thrust of the Allied advance, while also representing the destruction and salvation that comes with such an undertaking
Bold and adaptable, these vectors will come in 4 different forms and sizes to be flexible enough to mark the significant waypoints on the trail, and to easy to install in different environments.
“The vectors are a topography of memory. They function as points in both space and time, while connecting to the story of liberation,” said architect Daniel Libeskind. “It was important that the markers communicate a very clear and bold message, so that when one encounters the trail it is immediately clear the vastness of the catastrophe and the ultimate triumph of liberation,” added Libeskind.
The international long-distance path that these Vectors will mark is a cross-border monument of freedom, harmony, and peace. Touching on different narratives of the last the last phase of World War II, the trail will highlight international cooperation, European unification and the freedom that Western Europe has enjoyed for almost 75 years.
Core to the central mission of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation, these ideals will find an architectural and tangible expression in the trail. Martin Schulz, Patron of the LRE Foundation: “The memory of our past shapes the way we see our present and work towards our future. The Liberation Route is a milestone project that I gladly support and that I hope will help keep the memory of our continent vivid and alive. I hope that the Liberation Route Europe can attract even more international support in the upcoming years for the Hiking Trail’s inauguration in 2020.”
Now officially launched, the LRE Trail and Vectors markers are in need of support, to ultimately unite the four countries coherently. To find out how to participate through donating or sponsoring, please click here.
Liberation Route Europe Foundation
