Fun things to do in Arnhem

In Klein Park outside of Eusebius church is the Arnhem War Memorial which depicts a man defending himself against the might of the enemy. Entitled "Man Against Power" the bronze statue was unveiled in 1953.

It is here that wreaths are laid and a 2 minute silence is kept at 08:00 each yer on 4th May, Commemoration Day.

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In the centre is a memorial to the British 1st Airborne Division in the form of a broken pillar, debris from the destroyed Palace of Justice.

It was unveiled on 17th September 1945 by the Governor of the Province of Gelderland in the presence f General Frost and 200 survivors of the Division

It is the focal point of the annual wreath laying commemoration in Arnhem during the anniversary weekend in September.

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This bridge was the prize of Operation Market Garden in September 1944, the target of the British 1ts Airborne Division.

This is not the original bridge as it has been blown up a fee times during the years. It was initially opened in 1935 and then blown up in the early hours of 10th May 1940 by the Dutch army. It was rebuilt by the Germans in 1944 and was damaged by the USAAF bomber in October 1944. The Germans then themselves blew up the bridge at the end of October 1944. It was rebuilt as we see it today by the Dutch and was opened om 9th May 1950.

However, the bridge was rebuilt to its original plans and so it looks much the same as it did pre-war.

About 500 men of the 2nd Parachute Battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel John Frost reached the bridge about 20:00 on 17th September 1944. They occupied houses at the Northern end of the bridge and held on until 05:00 on Thursday 21st September.

We walked across the bridge on quiet Sunday morning trying to picture the scene of some 65 years ago.

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After few attempts I have been at last there, in the Eusebius Tower.
Some information about the tower ... It was completely destroyed during the Second World War and re-built after that completely. The tower is 93 meters high but you can reach only 80 at the panorama deck. You can climb the stairs (If you will do it, please tell me how many steps the stair has. I was counting only 69 and I quite...). The easiest way to go up is the lift, of course. The experience is anyway unique, you will feel for sure why:).
The panorama is spectacular and you will never regret the experience.

I was anyway surprised to see that the church was arranged like a restaurant. I am not a very religious man but this was really new for me.

All the information in the church shall be translated in English too.

If you want to ring the bell you have to use Paul's name as a password:)... It worked in my case.

The program is 10:00-17:00 during the working days and 10:00-16:00 on Saturday. They can have special arrangements so you have to try again if it will be closed.

The title of their leaflet is "Touched by Water".

Here you and your kids can discover everything about water.
From drinking water to sewer water.
From rain to riverwater.

Ever seen the amount of water you consist of:
Well since my bodyweight is more than 100 kg. I take 68 litres of water with me!

How much water do you use in your home?

How is it possible for the dutch to keep their land dry enough to live on?

All these questions are answered here, also in english and german language.

Admission:
Adults € 7,50
Children 4-12 yrs. € 4,00

Opening hours:
Tue-Sun 9:30-17:30 hrs.

Walking around Burgers Bush a tunnelsystem leads you to the desert. Another warm indoor area with lots of cactusses and also a lot more animals which you can actually see. Besides a range of birds you can see linxes, bighorn sheep, bores and snakes (don't worry, the dangerous animals don't walk around freely). In the darkness of the caves the nocturnal animals are on display.

The first indoor area built by the ZOO was an eco-system called Burgers Zoo. It's a small (well it's pretty big) rainforest where it's quite warm and moist every day of the year. Though there are hundreds of animals, you will have a hard time finding them as they walk around freely. Most animals here are birds which fly around freely and sometimes cross your path as they come walking out of the bushes. Main sight here is the big waterfall.

A part of Burgers Zoo is the Aquarium, called Burgers Ocean.

You start at sealevel slowly making your way down to the bottom of the Ocean in stunning big aquariums. Lots of effort has been put to make the enivornment looking as realistic as possible. The coral reafs are simply stunning. Naturally you can see sharks swimming around.