The Art of Remembrance project has officially launched its call for artists, offering a unique opportunity for creatives to immerse themselves in the history and memory of World War II. This ambitious initiative, developed in collaboration with Tempora, the City of Bastogne , La Coupole Museum , the Nuto Revelli Foundation , and the Sybir Memorial Museum, invites artists from across the globe to participate in a residency program that reimagines how we connect with the past through contemporary art.
At the heart of the Art of Remembrance project is the belief that art has the power to bridge generations and inspire new ways of thinking about history. By engaging with the narratives of World War II, artists will contribute to a collective effort to preserve and reinterpret the legacy of one of the most defining periods in human history.
Four historically significant WWII remembrance sites in Europe will host the residencies, each offering a distinct perspective on the war’s impact. These sites, steeped in history and memory, will provide artists with access to archives, artifacts, and local communities. The resulting works will form part of a traveling exhibition, connecting audiences across Europe with the themes of memory, resilience, and reflection.
The project is supported by an international partnership of cultural and historical organizations and co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme. Together, the partners aim to foster dialogue between past and present, art and history, and people across borders.
This call marks the beginning of a two-year journey for the Art of Remembrance project, offering a platform for artists to create works that resonate deeply with contemporary audiences. Whether through painting, sculpture, installation, or other forms, the residencies will allow participants to explore the legacies of WWII in meaningful and innovative ways.
For more information about the residency program and how to apply, visit the Call for Proposalssection of the Art of Remembrance website. The deadline for applications is February 5, 2025.
At the start of this year, LRE Foundation and its partners began the implementation of ‘Retracing the Footsteps: A Transnational Journey of Canadian Liberation in WWII (REFOOT)’. Supported by funding from the European Interreg North-West Europe programme, the project aims to create a transnational hiking trail that follows the path of Canadian soldiers involved in the liberation of Western Europe during the Second World War. We caught up with Emme Johnson, Project Officer at LRE Foundation, who is leading the project to hear more about it.
Can you tell us a bit about the project and the role of LREF?
The Foundation is leading the project, so we are working with local partners in France, Germany and Belgium to implement it in the four countries in which the trails will be located (BE, FR, DE, NL). Building on the existing Canadian Trail that we created in the Netherlands, we wanted to highlight the history of the Canadian Troops who helped liberate Europe at the end of the war on an international level, and so this project was born.
The new sections of the Canadian Trails will connect the stories of the Canadian soldiers’ journey, from France to Germany via Belgium and the Netherlands, connecting sites like memorials, museums and villages that were important along the way. Once completed, members of the public will be able to discover this history by hiking the trails, either in shorter distances at a local level, or challenging themselves to follow the longer, national and transnational routes.
Who else is involved in the project?
To make sure we highlight a variety of stories in each country, the Foundation is working with several international project partners who have expertise on the topic at a local level. These include:LRE France, the Juno Beach Centre (France), and the For Freedom Museum (Belgium).We also have associated partners supporting the project, including theJuno Beach Centre Association (Canada) who cooperate on the historical aspect of the project, andthe French Hiking Federation, European Ramblers Association (Germany), and Stichting Wandelnet (Netherlands), who we consult regarding the hiking trails we use for the routes.
What’s the latest on the project?
So far, we have created a map of all the sites (points of interest) that we would like to include in the trails, for example museums, memorials, locations where a key event occurred etc. There are 200 altogether! We’ve also mapped the international and local hiking routes in the four countries and how they connect with these locations, and at the moment we are finalising the trails we will use. Some of the historians and partners working with us have also started to write the historical content, and this will be a big focus over the next months. We will be working to bring all of the interesting sites and stories together to create the final product, our transnational hiking trail!
Why is this project important for you?
I think it’s easy to see the liberation of Europe at the end of the Second World War almost as a singular event – that we were at war and then once it ended we celebrated together. But it is much more complex than this, and the experiences of liberation varied hugely for people, both soldiers and civilians, depending on where they were geographically. There are some very tragic and moving stories which took place even in the last days of war whilst in other places celebrations took place. This project shows how, even among a small group of countries, the liberation took its time.Each region and village experienced it differently, and it took huge and continued efforts from the armies, in this case the Canadian army, for entire countries to be fully liberated.
How is this project important for local communities?
This project brings a lot of interesting benefits to the wider public. Not only does it highlight history that is lesser known, the more local stories and places, but it provides a great resource for many different people to discover. Whether you’re a keen hiker, a history enthusiast, a young family looking for a day out, or a local who has lived in town for many years but had no idea of the history right on your doorstep, the trails have something to offer everyone!
As a final question, what makes this project special for you?
Highlighting the experiences of so many different places, the stories of the people there and their interactions with the soldiers when they arrived, is really interesting for me. I also like that these trails can take visitors to new places you may not know, like a small village, but also to places that are familiar, like more famous cities, and then reveal a whole new experience there by telling a certain history that you didn’t know before. Combining this history with walking routes is a great way to enable people to explore at their own pace and learn more about Europe’s history and culture. For me this project is a way to preserve important historical events, memories and experiences whilst encouraging people to be active and get outside, and I think that’s a great combination.
The LRE Foundation is thrilled to announce that registration for the LRE Forum 2025 is officially open! Our annual event, running from March 10 to March 13, 2025, promises an enriching experience for all attendees and will take place in the historic city of Krakow, Poland.
Organized by the LRE Foundation in collaboration with LRE Poland and the City of Krakow, the LRE Forum 2025 offers a four-day schedule tailored to members, partners, and stakeholders in tourism and cultural heritage. The programme includes panel discussions as well as various networking opportunities with international organizations associated with WWII, historical tourism, and international travel.
Key Highlights Include:
On March 11, the LRE Member Seminar offers an excellent opportunity to exchange best practices and learn about the latest initiatives from the Foundation and its network. Moreover, two workshops will be organised: one on WWII Heritage and Sustainable Tourism and another on Artificial Intelligence and WWII Heritage.
On the same day, the LRE Conference, titled “Resistance to Oblivion – Preserving WWII Memories and Lessons for Future Generations”, will feature a lineup of speakers, panel discussions, and interviews, focusing on diverse strategies for preserving the memory of WWII for future generations. The day concludes with a Gala Dinner, a wonderful opportunity to network with Foundation members, key partners, and sponsors.
On March 12, the LREXPO will bring representatives from memorial sites, museums and tourism destinations together with travel industry professionals from Europe and North America for further networking moments.
In the final days, members will join the site visits and explore the most historically significant locations in Krakow and its surroundings, including a tour of the Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factor and the area of the former ghetto, and a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum.
Whether you are part of the LRE network or a professional in the field of history and tourism, the LRE Forum 2025 offers an experience for growth, collaboration, and inspiration.
Register now to secure your place at our annual event. Click here to register.
For more information about the programme, please visit our website. For any inquiries or additional information, feel free to contact us at event@liberationroute.com.
LRE UK is excited to announce its newest partner, the University of Portsmouth. After several years of positive cooperations with the university, we are pleased to make this partnership official and look forward to continuing and expanding our work with them. As part of this cooperation, under coordination of Dr Rob James, Senior lecturer in Cultural and Social History at University of Portsmouth, and Ben Mayne, Director of LRE UK, University of Portsmouth students now can elect to work with the Foundation’s UK branch as part of their studies. This involves students researching and creating historical content to design new Themed Routes for the LRE network. Within this they can focus on their personal interests in the topic to develop routes on a variety of themes.
This cooperation provides students with valuable experience in the cultural heritage and remembrance tourism sector, offering them an opportunity to foster their research and writing skills whilst contributing to an international project. This knowledge and information offers valuable additions to the ever-expanding LRE hiking & cycling trails network. It simultaneously supports the Foundation’s mission of raising awareness about Second World War history and its varied perspectives and experiences, and engaging young people in this process.
“This is a great opportunity for young adults to gain many skills in different areas and contribute towards a European project that grows from strength to strength. […] it’s important that we give the future generations the opportunities to participate and work to continue the remembrance.” Says Ben Mayne, LRE UK Director.
In February 2024, the first students to choose to work with LRE UK as part of their studies began working on a Themed Route. Tailored to their own interests, students Sadie White and Francesa Raine explored the reality of the war in Portsmouth from a citizen’s perspective. They researched and presented stories of a war-scarred city, and the sense of community that arose between citizens and military troops. Working with Ben Mayne, the students selected, researched and created items of historical content to create the walking route ‘Community in War-scarred Portsmouth’. This will be available soon on the LRE website.
‘Formalising the University’s partnership with LRE Foundation is a really important development and cements the relationship we’ve had with the organisation over recent years. The partnership will provide students with the opportunity to work on a variety of important heritage projects, and these will not only help to build the students’ knowledge and skills but will also help to ensure that this important period in world history will continue to be remembered and commemorated.’ Says Dr Rob James, Senior lecturer in Cultural and Social History at University of Portsmouth.
After this positive start to the partnership, we are looking forward to future cooperation and projects with the University of Portsmouth!
This week, the LRE Foundation Brussels office hosted the launch of “Preserving the Past, Securing the Future: A Sustainable Approach to Cultural and Remembrance Heritage”, a new initiative funded by the Creative Europe Programme. The project aims to develop sustainable practices in the cultural heritage and remembrance sectors, focusing particularly on World War II remembrance tourism sites. The project addresses a significant challenge: ensuring that these places can adapt to the modern-day need for socio-cultural, economic and environmental sustainability so that they are able to continue educating and inspiring future generations.
The project goes beyond preserving history, making the important connection between remembrance of World War II and the need to combat todays’ urgent global issues, such as climate change and social inequality. By fostering sustainable development in the sector, the project and its partners seek to create a legacy not only of remembrance but also of responsibility.
Collaboration Across Borders
Central to the project’s vision is the collaboration with three key partners, each bringing unique expertise to the table. Mascontour, a German consultancyspecialising in the implementation of resilient and sustainable tourism, offers a strong foundation in training and capacity building for the tourism sector. From Italy, Fondazione Campus Studi del Mediterraneo contributes its academic knowledge in tourism and environmental studies, ensuring a robust research base for the project. Finally, theJuno Beach Centre in France, a centre of interpretation dedicated to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during the Second World War, exemplifies how sustainability can be effectively integrated into remembrance site management, providing a strong case study of experience and ongoing good practices.
This combination of academic, practical, and consultancy expertise underscores the project’s interdisciplinary nature.
Kick-Off Meeting and next steps
The two-day meeting in Brussels marked the project’s official start, bringing together the partner to align on objectives and establish a collaborative framework. Participants explored the project’s aims and objectives, discussed timelines and partner roles, and shared ideas on how to maximise stakeholder engagement and capacity building activities.
The meeting concluded with a clear set of next steps. Immediate priorities include finalising the structure of capacity-building activities, complemented by e-learning modules, mentoring and peer-learning, and study visits which will equip professionals in the remembrance sector with the necessary skills and knowledge to implement sustainable tourism practices. Stakeholder engagement initiatives will also begin: a research phase will investigate best practices and stakeholders’ needs in order to form a strong foundation for the subsequent project activities. This includes outreach efforts targeting organisations that can both contribute to and benefit from the project. Lastly, dissemination efforts will ensure widespread awareness of the project’s objectives and outcomes, targeting both industry professionals and the general public to foster a collective commitment to sustainability.
While the meeting laid a solid foundation, the real work lies ahead.
‘The project team is committed to this exciting cooperation and to ensuring that each stage of the project reflects the shared vision developed in Brussels. As this project begins, it has potential for an important and lasting impact, not just for stakeholders in the sector but for visitors and members of the public too. We are very happy to be working alongside such strong and passionate partners on this topic to make real change in the sector’ Emme Johnson, Project Officer at the LRE Foundation.
This week marked the launch of the EU-funded Art of Remembrance project, as partners gathered at Tempora’s office in Brussels for a comprehensive kick-off meeting. The project, a collaboration between leading cultural and historical institutions across Europe, aims to bridge the gap between history and contemporary art, engaging audiences across Europe with innovative artistic expressions and narratives.
As time moves further away from the events of the Second World War, keeping its memories accessible for future generations becomes increasingly challenging. The Art of Remembrance project seeks to address this by reimagining WWII remembrance through contemporary art.
At its core, the project aims to transform WWII remembrance sites into dynamic spaces for artistic creation and dialogue. This will be achieved through artist residencies, in which artists will create new works inspired by the historical sites where they will work, offering fresh interpretations of the war’s legacy.
The project also emphasizes community involvement, with workshops and seminars that connect local residents with artists, fostering dialogue and making history feel more accessible.
Art of Remembrance will culminate in a travelling exhibition, showcasing the artworks across Europe, supported by publications and an online platform. This will ensure the reinterpretation of WWII history reaches a wide audience, keeping the past alive and relevant for generations to come.
Insights from the Kick-Off Meeting
The kick-off meeting at Tempora served as a starting point for this multi-faceted initiative. Partners shared their organizational insights, discussed the project’s objectives, and delved deeper into some of the specifics, such organizing the traveling exhibition’s logistics and the artist residencies’ structure.
Participants also had the chance to tour Tempora’s renowned laboratory drawing inspiration from its expertise in crafting compelling exhibitions.
The meeting concluded with a discussion of budget allocations, administrative requirements, and a clear roadmap for the next phases of the project. Key immediate tasks include finalizing the call for artist proposals and establishing timelines for workshops and exhibitions.
With its innovative approach, Art of Remembrance represents a bold step toward rethinking WWII remembrance sites as spaces of creativity and cultural exchange. By connecting past and present through art, the project aims to keep the lessons of WWII alive and relevant for generations to come.
For more information on Art of Remembrance and updates on its progress, stay tuned to the LRE Foundation’s official channels.
The LRE Foundation has officially launched the AI Remembers project, an EU funded initiative designed to explore the integration of artificial intelligence into the preservation and interpretation of WWII heritage. The project involves collaboration with key partners KERN IT from Belgium and the University of Caen Normandy in France. Together, the partners will work on the possibilities brought by new AI and Learning technologies for presenting historical content, using the Liberation Route Europe – our Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe – as a test case.
The project’s kickoff meeting took place at KERN-IT’s Office in Brussels.
The meeting focused on outlining the project’s objectives and planning the initial steps of the collaboration.
Project Objectives
The AI Remembers project aims to explore the use of AI and Machine Learning technologies to reimagine how WWII history is preserved, interpreted, and shared. One of its primary goals is to transform traditional approaches by making historical narratives more interactive and accessible, particularly for younger audiences and students accustomed to digital experiences. AI tools will also help overcome language and cultural barriers, allowing content to reach a broader and more diverse audience.
Collaboration is a cornerstone of the initiative. Historians, educators, and technologists will work together to ensure the project combines historical accuracy with technological innovation. At the same time, the sensitive nature of WWII content requires a careful and ethical approach. The project will develop a framework to guide the responsible use of AI in presenting this material, ensuring the narratives are treated with respect and integrity.
The kickoff meeting in Brussels was an important first step in bringing together the team and aligning efforts towards achieving the project’s objectives. More updates will follow as the project progresses.
Loïc François, LRE Foundation Digital Manager:
“We are very proud to be part of this multi-perspective team to discuss the impact that AI technologies and Machine Learning can have on the preservation and interpretation of WWII heritage “
Khalid Yagoubi, CTO of KERN IT:
“An opportunity to study the impact of the various AI technologies on historical facts and to explore new methods for discovering and examining history.”
Frédéric Jurie, professor and specialist in Trustworthy AI from the University of Caen Normandy:
“These contributions will broaden the scope of our research and complement civil society’s thinking on trustworthy AI’ ”
As the LRE Foundation continues its mission to expand the Liberation Route Europe project, our team recently took part in several major European networking events, strengthening connections with the Travel Trade industry and promoting our LRE hiking and cycling trails.
CycleSummit – Bern, Switzerland
From 12 to 15 October, Project Officer Emme Johnson attended the CycleSummit in Bern, Switzerland. The largest European trade show for bicycle touring, over 100 organisations attended this year’s summit. The event offered a prime opportunity to showcase LRE’s hiking and cycling trails to tour operators from throughout Europe and beyond who specialise in bicycle tourism. Emme’s participation helped increase awareness of the Liberation Route Europe trails among key players in the sector, to encourage the inclusion of our many sites, stories and routes into cycling and hiking tourism itineraries across Europe.
Global European Marketplace – London, UK
On 31 October and 1 November, Project Officer Emme Johnson and Press and Communication Advisor Gert-Jan Jacobs represented the LRE Foundation at the Global European Marketplace in London, the premier annual travel trade event of the European Tourism Association (ETOA). This dynamic gathering brought together over 800 industry professionals for a day and a half filled with networking and insights into the latest tourism trends. Emme and Gert-Jan connected with more than 20 international tour operators, spotlighting the Liberation Route Europe project and its unique historical and touristic significance. Their efforts helped open doors for potential partnerships that aim to inspire global audiences to explore the powerful stories and sites along the route.
Interreg NWE Annual Event – Dublin, Ireland
On 5 and 6 November, LRE Foundation Managing Director Rémi Praud and Project Officer Emme Johnson attended the Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) Annual Event in Dublin. As beneficiaries of the Interreg NWE EU funding programme, LRE Foundation was among a diverse group of project applicants, EU representatives, and decision-makers. The event was an invaluable opportunity to showcase both the ongoing REFOOT project and the Liberation Route Europe Trails, while networking with potential collaborators to support our efforts in making WWII history accessible through sustainable tourism.
Looking forward to 2025, the LRE Foundation is preparing for the LREXPO at the upcoming LRE Forum, scheduled for 10 to 13 March 2025, in Krakow, Poland. This event will provide a valuable platform for our members and partners to connect with representatives from the travel trade industry, including European and North American tour operators, through dedicated networking sessions and FAM trips. We’re excited to strengthen these relationships and expand the reach of the Liberation Route Europe project. More details about the Forum will be shared in the coming weeks.
On October 22, the LRE Foundation Supervisory Board gathered for an online meeting, including the welcoming of its newest member, Blandine Smilansky. With an extensive background in promoting European history and cultural heritage, she brings a wealth of experience that aligns closely with the mission of the LRE Foundation.
Since 2015, Blandine Smilansky has been working at the House of European History, where she serves as the Head of Communications and Partnerships. Before stepping into this role, she was part of the Learning Department, where she developed and led various cultural programs. Her experience is further enriched by her years at EUROCLIO, the European Association of History Educators, where she managed pan-European projects focused on innovative approaches to history, heritage, and citizenship education. With a strong academic background in history and cultural management from France, she brings valuable insights to the Foundation’s mission of connecting people and places through Europe’s shared heritage.
Upon joining the board, the Blandine Smilanski shared her thoughts: “Reflecting on Europe’s past from a variety of perspectives is what both the House of European History and the LRE Foundation are encouraging through their work. I am therefore very happy to represent the museum in the LRE Supervisory Board and contribute to making history and heritage something that connects people across borders.”
Ed Kronenburg, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, warmly welcomed Blandine Smilansky: “We are delighted to welcome Blandine Smilansky to our Supervisory Board. Her extensive experience in promoting European history, as well as her leadership at the House of European History, will bring fresh and dynamic perspectives to the LRE Foundation. Blandine’s commitment to cross-border cooperation and fostering a multi-perspective approach aligns perfectly with our mission. We are confident her contributions will enrich our efforts to connect people and places through the shared heritage of Europe’s past.”
The LRE Foundation’s International Supervisory Board’s role is to oversee the organization’s management, activities, and finances, ensuring that its work continues to promote and preserve Europe’s collective memory and heritage.
