Federal President Joachim Gauck and Ms Daniela Schadt visited the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 5 and 6 May 2012. On 5 May the Federal President delivered a speech there, making him the first foreign head of state to speak on the occasion of Liberation Day, a national day of remembrance to commemorate the liberation from German occupation during World War II.

This year the two-day-long annual festivities took place in Breda in North Brabant province. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander accompanied the Federal President and Ms Schadt there. Following a ceremony, the traditional freedom fire was lit in the Federal President’s presence at Castle Square in Breda.

On Saturday afternoon the Federal President met with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. In Amsterdam the two heads of state attended a concert in honour of Liberation Day and took a boat trip on the Amstel River together.

At the end of 2011, the Dutch National Committee invited then Federal President Christian Wulff to deliver the speech in Breda on 5 May. After taking over from Wulff in mid-March, Federal President Joachim Gauck fulfilled his predecessor’s pledge.

Gauck had most recently met Queen Beatrix on 25 April at the opening of the exhibition “Dutch Design – Huis van Oranje” at Schloss Oranienbaum near Dessau, Germany.