Program May 2-6, 2018
Who were the men and women who liberated us more than 70 years ago? During The Faces of Margraten tribute you will finally have the opportunity to meet our liberators when the personal photos of about 5,500 of them are on display next to their graves and the Walls of the Missing. The photos show us the faces of the people who became victims of war: the often young soldiers and their loved-ones. We honor them during this tribute and we will reflect upon our freedom in our contemporary world.
Opening hours
From May 2-May 6 the cemetery is open daily from 9.00-17.00 hours. Volunteers are present at the site during opening hours to answer any questions that you may have about the cemetery and the tribute. Do you have a question about a soldier or about doing research? Then visit the information desk near the Visitor's Centre. Our volunteers will be able to answer your questions right away or will make sure to get back to you with the answers after the tribute. We are at your service!
Opening ceremony
We will officially open the tribute during a ceremony at 3 PM on May 2. All are invited to attend this ceremony to mark the beginning of this special tribute together. Officials of the U.S. Embassy in The Hague and the Province of Limburg are among those attending. Furthermore, Dutch singer-songwriter Maarten Peters will perform several moving songs during the ceremony. Local scouts will have a special role this day.
National Commemoration of the War Dead
On May 4 the cemetery will also open in the evening hours. On this day the Netherlands commemorate their war dead. At 20.00 hours the country will observe 2 minutes of silence. At the cemetery, these minutes of silence will be followed by the national anthems of the Netherlands and the United States. Children will help to fold the flags of both countries afterwards.
Voices of Margraten
Yet, while the saying goes that a picture is worth more than a thousand words, they can never tell the full story. That is why we share some of them with you thisy ear. Voices of Margraten is an audiotour that allows you to learn more about Wilma Vinsant, one of the four women buried here, and Carmelo Amoroso. This impressive tour, produced by Lubert Priems, Jacqueline Kerkhof, and their team, also vividly shows how these men and women continue to live on in the hearts and minds of people today.
While it's best to use the app in the cemetery, you can still enjoy the story from anywhere in the world. Download the izi.travel app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. After downloading the app, search for the Voices of Margraten tour within the app. To download the audio tour, you need an internet/wifi connection. If using the audio tour in the cemetery, your phone will only utilize the GPS capability. Cellular sevice is not required.
The audio tour starts near the entrance of the cemetery at the information desk. The tour narrator will direct you over the cemetery grounds. Alternatively, you can also follow the route on your phone’s screen.
To directly go to the tour about Carmelo Amoroso, please click the image below:
Impression of the tribute
Would you like to get an impression of The Faces of Margraten tribute? We have gathered material from earlier years for you in our archives. To visit our online archives, please click here.
Soldiers' relatives
If you are a relative of any of the soldiers buried in or memorialized at the cemetery and are planning to visit The Faces of Margraten tribute, please notify the cemetery of your visit in advance. They will be happy to welcome and assist you during your visit to your loved-one's grave.
Transport
The cemetery is situated along the main road N278. The cemetery's address is Amerikaanse Begraafplaats 1, Margraten. You can plan your trip to the cemetery for example through Google Maps. A bus service stops regularly in front of the cemetery's entrance gates (bus stop "Amerikaanse Begraafplaats). Both line 10 and line 350 serve the cemetery. If you travel to Maastricht by train, you can use these lines to travel directly from the train station to the cemetery. For more information on the bus and train services, please visit: www.9292.nl. For more information about taking public transport in the Netherlands, please visit this page.
Staying overnight
Are you planning to stay overnight and are you looking for accommodation? There is a wide range of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other kinds of accommodation near the town of Margraten where you can stay the night and that offer you a starting point to explore other sights in this beautiful area of the Netherlands if choose to stay for a prolonged area of time. The tourism office of VVV Zuid-Limburg has listed information on locations to stay as well as on other sights to explore on their website, which you can visit here. In the vicinity you will also find the cities of Maastricht and Liege, sites of the Battle of the Bulge like Bastogne, and other American War Cemeteries.
Latest news
In the meantime, you can stay up-to-date on the latest knews about the project through our social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.
