Hotel de Wereld (meaning ''Hotel The World'') is a 4-star hotel in

Wageningen Wageningen () is a municipality and a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a population of in , of which many ...

. It was the site of the capitulation of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

troops in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 5 May 1945, and the end of German occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. '' Oberbefehlshaber Niederlande'' supreme commander ''

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank was ...

Johannes Blaskowitz Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz (10 July 1883 – 5 February 1948) was a German ''Generaloberst'' during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. After joining the Imperial German Army in ...

surrendered to

I Canadian Corps I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War. History From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I ...

commander Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes at the hotel. The capitulation document was signed the next day (no typewriter had been available the prior day) in the auditorium of '' Rijks Landbouw Hoogeschool'', located next door. This historic event is celebrated every May 5 as Netherlands'

Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day. Liberation marks the date of either a revolution, as in Cuba, the fall of a dictatorship, as in Portugal, or the end of an oc ...

national holiday.

History

In 1669 Jacob Meijnsen had a hotel outsite the city gates of Wageningen. It was a stopping place between

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

and

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

. The inn appears on a map of

Gerard Passevant Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...

in 1676. In 1814 the oldest painting of the hotel was made, this painting was commissioned by Gerrit Steuk when he became the owner of the inn. In 1852 a new hotel was built (current building) on the foundations of the old inn. In 1872 a new extension of three storeys was built. Since 2004 it is again a hotel and restaurant. The in Hotel de Wereld situated restaurant O Mundo was a 1 star restaurant until 2018 according to the

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of ...

World War II background

Johannes Blaskowitz surrenders in Holland

When British Field Marshal Montgomery reached

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

and the Baltic Sea in the beginning of May 1945, the German troops in Denmark and part of The Netherlands were isolated from their homebase. Without major fights, they surrendered to Montgomery on May 4 at Lüneburg Heath. On 5 May 1945 the negotiation for the surrender of the Germans in the Netherlands took place in the hotel.

commander Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, accompanied by Canadian Brigadier-General

George Kitching Major-General George Kitching (9 September 1910 − 15 June 1999) CBE, DSO, CD was a senior Canadian Army officer who saw active service in World War II. Early life and military career George Kitching was born on 9 September 1910 in Guangzhou ( ...

and

Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

, accepted the capitulation of '' Oberbefehlshaber Niederlande'' German commander-in-chief ''

, who was accompanied by German ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

Paul Reichelt __NOTOC__ Paul Reichelt (29 March 1898 – 15 July 1981) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II and in the Bundeswehr. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and dec ...

. On 6 May 1945 (no typewriter had been available the previous day), the official signing of the capitulation document took place in the auditorium of '' Rijks Landbouw Hoogeschool'', next door to the hotel. Photos can be see
here
The pen used to sign can be seen in the local museum the ''Casteelse poort'' (English: Castles gate). By 1975 the Hotel was fully restored. The restored Hotel was opened by H.R.H. Prince Bernhard, who represented the Netherlands at the capitulation in 1945. On 8 July 1945 the bronze plaque was attached to the wall of the Hotel by the Canadians. On 9 July Prince Bernhard unveiled the plaque which was given by General Foulkes to remember the capitulation act signed in Wageningen.

References

* Klep, L., ''A brief history of Wageningen, through the windows of Hotel de Wereld'', Futura Uitgevers Wageningen, 2004; ISBN "90-801224-3-2" * Klep, L., ''Hotel de Wereld, de geschiedenis van het huis eerste rang ter plaatse'', Futura Uitgevers Wageningen, 2004; ISBN "90-801224-2-4"

External links

Foundation for the preservation of Hotel de Wereld as a National InheritanceWebsite of the hotel
{{Rijksmonument, 369102 Wereld Wereld Rijksmonuments in Gelderland Wageningen History of Wageningen