Bridge in the village of Kuttekoven (Borgloon, Belgium) under the railway track bed of the historical Belgian Railway Line 23 – the so-called ‘Fruitspoor’ – the old railway line 23 between Tongeren and Drieslinter, that connected Tongeren, Borgloon and Sint-Truiden. Bridge under the deportation railway track from Kazerne Dossin to Auschwitz, right after the site where Simon Gronowski escaped from the 20th convoy. Filmed Jan 2014.
License info : Kuttekoven Bridge Railway Line 23 | 20230223 | Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media | TakeNode de90531a-80d0-4416-8ba5-46361a379ca9
Croatian subtitles demo in film Transport XX to Auschwitz
Thanks Ministry of Subtitles for contributing today your Croatian subtitles file for use in an international edition of Transport XX to Auschwitz. The Ministry of Subtitles originally provided Croatian subtitles for the ‘Transport XX to Auschwitz’ film screening with projection of both Croatian and English subtitles in Cinema Europa at the 8th Festival of Tolerance – May 2014, Zagreb, Croatia.
The Old Fortress of Corfu , Greece – here filmed 29 September 2022 – was used at the end of World War II by the Nazis to imprison the Jews of Corfu prior to their deportation from the island (Ref 1). Greek resistance fighter Manolis Glézos (Sep 1922 – Mar 2020) – who tore down the swastika from the Acropolis in May 1941 – was confined in a cellar there (Ref 2, 3). Last month, 28 September 2022, holocaust survivor Mr Simon Gronowski – escapee from the 20th prisoners’ train convoy to Auschwitz (Ref 4) – spoke in the European Parliament at the Centennial celebration of the birth of Manolis Glézos, on the resistance against fascism, nazism, imperialism and the daily fight for democracy (Ref 5, 6, 7) . Mr Simon Gronowski (born 12 oktober 1931 in Brussels) is celebrating today his 91th birthday … congrats … La vie est belle !
License info: Old Fortress Corfu Prison | 20221012 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com | TakeNode ID: 3c70ef13-05db-4ad7-9b8b-4d7598c42b62
Marc Michiels has left us last Friday, April 30, 2021.
Expert author on the history of Transport XX and coordinator for many years of the annual commemorations in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium – here at the 7th commemoration in 1999.
Marc Michiels 1999 Transport XX | 20210503 | Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media
Speech mayor Michel Baert followed by the song ‘I am not at war’ performed by solidarity choir KONTRARIE at the 20th commemoration of Transport XX on 21 April 2013 in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium.
Theme this 20th commemoration : “In the track of Transport XX after 70 years”. Dutch: 20e herdenking – “In het spoor van Transport XX na 70 jaar”. Commemoration of the attack and escapes from Transport XX to Auschwitz.
The three young Brussels’ heroes Youra Livschitz , Robert Maistriau, and Jean Franklemon liberated 17 people during an attack on the cattle car train ‘Transport XX’ , the night of April 19th 1943 – crammed with 1631 Jewish passengers, heading for Auschwitz – over 200 others jumped and escaped that night in Belgium too.
Transport XX Track 1943-2013 ~ Speech : Michel Baert | Mayor Boortmeerbeek ~ Music : I am not at war | KONTRARIE | kontrarie.be | Words and Music by Luka Bloom | Music Adaptation by Luc Wynants, conductor KONTRARIE ~ Film : 20210421 | Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media
Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition .
A video impression filmed February 2009 , of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
The TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels was organised from 27 January to 15 March 2009 by the BELvue Museum in collaboration with the JMDR / Kazerne Dossin. The photographic portraits were displayed outside in the Royal park in Brussels (opposite the Royal Palace).
On April 19, 1943 at 10 p.m. the 20th train convoy departed the Dossin barracks (Kazerne Dossin) in Mechelen (Belgium) with 40 cattle cars crammed with 1631 Jewish men, women and children for Auschwitz (Poland). The in Belgium captured Jews were over 90% ‘foreigners’ (with no Belgian nationality) who either when war broke out or (many) years earlier had fled from mainly Eastern Europe, Germany and Holland to Belgium. Half an hour after the departure of this transport XX three young Belgians from Brussels, Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau stopped the train between Boortmeerbeek and Haacht, opened one of the cars and liberated 17 prisoners. Later before the train reaches the German border over 200 other prisoners decide to attempt to escape and also jump out of the cars. In total 236 people were able to escape, but 26 were shot and killed trying to escape.
This 20th transport arrived at Auschwitz on April 22 with 1395 deportees. Only approximately 151 of those on board survived this and later death camps. This was the only documented attack on a death train during the Shoah.
More on Transport XX – including the documentary film Transport XX to Auschwitz – at my web site here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/ .
TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels | 2009 film .
First film edition “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels”.
A first edition of this film entitled “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels” was published on 19 april 2009 via my YouTube channel – and that version was also added in 2009 to the collection of the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (Mechelen, Belgium).
Transport XX face to face | 2010 film .
The 2nd edition named “Transport XX face to face” has some editing corrections and a new title and credits.
This edition was first published October 2010 in the 7th round of the New Arrivals 2010 / 2011 of the dutch ‘NTR’ broadcaster: http://www.kortefilmonline.ntr.nl , and uploaded January 2011 at my Vimeo channel and at my now obsolete YouTube channel iClip. Remake 2010 film.
A remake at higher resolution , was published June 9, 2020.
Transport XX face to face | 1 minute film .
The 2010 second edition was used for the special 1 minute production “Transport XX face to face” selected in 2010 by The One Minutes and the dutch Museum of National History (innl) – see post 20200607.
Het XXste Transport naar Auschwitz | Marc Michiels & Mark Van den Wijngaert | ISBN 9789059089808
A DVD edition of that one minute film was screened at the book presentation April 2012 ‘Het XXste Transport naar Auschwitz’ by Marc Michiels & Mark Van den Wijngaert at the Boortmeerbeek townhall (note a new edition was published last year , ISBN 978 90 5908 980 8 ) , and next at the 2012 Transport XX commemoration and the war photography exhibition ‘Our World, at War’ from April 16 – May 31 , 2012 in the HaBoBIB public library in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium.
Storyboard film Transport XX face <> face | 2012 edition
Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition .
This edition presented here is the 2012 film that was reworked – the opening and closing street scenes were deleted – and published April 2012 as Transport XX face <> face (2012 film) online via Vimeo , and distributed in a limited DVD edition of both that film version and also a ‘loop’ version of the film, to the Boortmeerbeek commemoration organization (together with the 1 minute film DVD edition – see above).
Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition | 20200611 release
Today (20200611) this 2012 edition is published in higher resolution as part of my project to republish former Vimeo uploads at my YouTube channel (both to improve and secure screening and archiving).
Credits.
The Kazerne Dossin ( http://www.kazernedossin.eu/ ) digitalised the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files” ( http://www.arch.be/ ) .
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (Belgium) and project “Give them a Face” which aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.
Film : Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition – 20200611 release | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media .
Transport XX – face to face .
Portraits of Jews deported to Auschwitz in 1943 .
A video impression filmed February 2009 , of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
More on Transport XX – including the documentary film Transport XX to Auschwitz – at my web site here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/ .
Making of the film .
Note that this movie originally started as pure registration – in a few ‘long takes’ – of these quite overwhelming visual impressions from my first encounter with this installation (not yet aware actually of the factual history of these portraits). Only the next day, after completing the capturing of 4 long takes while walking back and forth the rows of portraits – did I read the caption halfway the installation, and first became aware of the background, more or less: that is, the history and ‘identity’ of the portraits and this ‘transport’. This prompted the idea for this visual account with the superimposed montage of the imagery of two of the takes, combined with the ambient sound (with of the lowest levels of wind noise) of a third take.
First film edition “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels”.
A first edition of this film entitled “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels” was published on 19 april 2009 via my YouTube channel – and that version was also added in 2009 to the collection of the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (Mechelen, Belgium). Link:
.
Final cut “Transport XX face to face”.
This ‘final cut’ now named “Transport XX face to face” has some editing corrections and a new title and credits.
This edition was first published October 2010 in the 7th round of the New Arrivals 2010 / 2011 of the dutch ‘NTR’ broadcaster: http://www.kortefilmonline.ntr.nl , and uploaded January 2011 at my Vimeo channel and at my now obsolete YouTube channel iClip – that’s being archived, while transferring that iClip content to my main channel youtube.com/michelvanderburg .
Credits.
The Kazerne Dossin ( http://www.kazernedossin.eu/ ) digitalised the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files” ( http://www.arch.be/ ) .
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (Belgium) and project “Give them a Face” which aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.
Film : Transport XX — face to face (20200609) Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media .
michelvanderburg•com 