As we commemorate 80 years of peace, we remember a remarkable woman who was murdered 80 years ago for her resistance work: Hannie Schaft. This anniversary year, we celebrate her life and legacy on Sunday, November 30th, at the Grote of St. Bavokerk in Haarlem. None other than Ben Verbong, director of the film The Girl with the Red Hair, will deliver the Hannie Schaft Lecture.

Ben Verbong

Ben Verbong is a Dutch director who graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in 1974. For his first full-length cinema film, The Girl with the Red Hair (based on the book by Theun de Vries) starring Renée Soutendijk, he received the Film Critics’ Prize in 1981. After numerous Dutch films including The Cashier and The Ondecent Woman, he continued his career in Germany. There he made seven cinema films and numerous television films. He made his comeback in the Netherlands with When I Saw You, based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Isa Hoes. He is currently preparing the Dutch-German coproduction Marinus, based on the book by Martin Schouten about the life of Marinus van der Lubbe

Commemoration 30 November in the Grote or St.-Bavokerk

Start: 13:00, doors open at 12:30 | Grote Markt 22, Haarlem | free admission |You can register here
The afternoon will be musically accompanied by Erik Vlasblom, Silje Raaijmakers, Frederique Arnold, a capella vocal group Vivid and children from Musical Master.

Na afloop is er gelegenheid mee te lopen in een stille tocht naar het Kenaupark waar kransen worden gelegd bij het monument ‘Vrouw in het verzet’ van Hannie’s mede-verzetsstrijder Truus Menger-Oversteegen.
De Nationale Hannie Schaft Stichting heeft een bijzondere band met de Grote of St.-Bavokerk. Eind november 1945 werd Hannie vanuit deze kerk herbegraven. Het was een nationaal evenement dat begon met een herdenkingsdienst waarna haar kist naar de Eerebegraafplaats Bloemendaal werd vervoerd voor de officiële begrafenis.

September 16, 2025 – Haarlem’s sidewalks have been enriched with a special stone. A memorial stone was unveiled in front of the house where Hannie lived by Mayor Jos Wienen and chairman of our foundation Hans Bakker.