The Martinustoren is a striking reminder of the devastation that befell Gennep and the entire North Limburg region at the end of the war. The tower provides a good view of the battlefields of Operation Market Garden (September 1944) and Operation Veritable (February 1945), also known as the Battle of the Reichswald. In addition to the Martinustoren, there are several attractions and an audio spot that bear witness to the times of occupation and the long period on the front lines. One example is the intimate Ellen Hoffmannplein in memory of the Shoah.
After the Allied airborne landings near Arnhem and Nijmegen, the small town on the River Niers was engulfed by the violence of war from the end of September 1944 onwards. Gennep was ravaged for months by increasingly heavy shelling, and the German troops did not know what to do. They dug in and built defences everywhere. The inhabitants were forced to leave. Following heavy fighting, British troops liberated Gennep on 12 February 1945, which had by then been largely destroyed, depopulated and plundered.After the Allied airborne landings near Arnhem and Nijmegen, the small town on the River Niers was engulfed by the violence of war from the end of September 1944 onwards. Gennep was ravaged for months by increasingly heavy shelling, and the German troops did not know what to do. They dug in and built defences everywhere. The inhabitants were forced to leave. Following heavy fighting, British troops liberated Gennep on 12 February 1945, which had by then been largely destroyed, depopulated and plundered.
