Liberation Memorial Noordwijk - Noordwijk

From a tall stone pillar, the bronze seagull appears to flutter away on the wind on its way to freedom. The gull's spread wings represent peace and freedom. An effigy of a mirror and a balance and sword can also be seen at the bottom of the plinth. They symbolise knowledge and justice.

It is a Liberation Monument unveiled in 1948 to commemorate World War II. It is also known as the Tappenbeck monument because it was made in memory of Noordwijk hotelier and resistance fighter Rudolf Tappenbeck, who died in Neuengamme concentration camp in 1944. As Tappenbeck was also a radio pioneer, the base of the monument also features a radio lamp and a microphone.

The sculpture was made by Ludwig Oswald Wenckebach (Heerlen, 1895-1962). He was a not only sculptor, painter, illustrator, lithographer, woodcarver and medallist. For his sculptures, he mainly used stone and bronze. He became a member of the Central Commission for War or Peace Memorials after World War II and also made many war memorials himself. By far his best-known work is Monsieur Jacques (1956), which stands both on Coolsingel in Rotterdam and at the entrance to the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo.