Ottawa opens new Canadian War Museum facility

Year of the Veteran-event

OTTAWA – A 125-year old Canadian institution, which also has on permanent display a segment on Dutch history, since May 5, 2005, has a very modern home. The newly-built Canadian War Museum facility opened its doors in Ottawa on the Liberation Day of the Netherlands. Affiliated with the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the new institute has its own collections, programs and staff.

The Canadian War Museum shows how war has shaped Canada, and presents the personal, national and international dimensions of Canadian military history. Its mission is to Educate, Preserve and Remember this part of the country’s experience.

The Ottawa facility is specifically designed to meet the needs of Canada's national museum of military history. It serves as the hub in a network of military museums across Canada, sharing its artifacts, archives, and expertise. As a centre for the study of military history in Canada, it will be accessible from across the country, and it will help to bring Canada's military history into the nation's classrooms.

The Canadian Tulip Festival kicked off its annual flower show on the same day. This year’s festival theme ‘Peace and Friendship’ ties in with the sixtieth anniversary of VE-Day, which officially is remembered on May 8th. The tulip festival’s roots go back to the gift of 120,000 tulip bulbs from the Dutch Royal Family in 1946, to show Canada a deep-felt appreciation for its hospitality during the family’s stay in Ottawa from 1940 to 1945.