The King of Belgium visits the Liberation Festival

King Philip of Belgium will visit this year's Freedom Festival in Pilsen, which will take place from 2 to 6 May. He will take part in a commemorative event marking the liberation of the city, in which the Belgian 17th Rifle Battalion participated alongside the 3rd US Army. The visit was reported on the website of the Royal Belgian Palace, and the visit of the King to the Czech Republic was also confirmed by the Office of the President of the Republic. From the point of view of the West Bohemian capital, this is an extraordinary event.

"As part of the annual Freedom Festival, Pilsen is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War this year, which will be very unique indeed. Everyone certainly expects this year's celebrations to be big. Today I can say that the Freedom Celebration 2025 will gain global significance. The King of Belgium himself will honour the city of Pilsen with his presence. This is a great honour for our city. His Majesty, the King of the Belgians, will be in Pilsen on his first visit," said the Mayor of Pilsen, Roman Zarzycký.

According to the Belgian side, the King will make an official visit to the Czech Republic on 5 and 6 May to take part in the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Pilsen. "He will take part in the celebrations of the liberation of Pilsen - one of the few Czech cities that was not liberated by Soviet troops, but by the 3rd American Army with the support of the 17th Belgian Rifle Battalion. This volunteer unit, formed in January 1945 - just after the liberation of Belgium - distinguished itself alongside US troops at the very end of World War II, pushing the Nazi occupiers hundreds of kilometres back into German and Czechoslovak territory," the Belgian side said of the programme. Pilsen was liberated on May 6, 1945 - two days before the Nazi regime surrendered - and became one of the last battlefields of World War II in Europe.

This year, the Freedom Festival in Pilsen will offer a global dimension and a unique atmosphere. The celebrations will be extraordinary in terms of scale, programme, the amount of historical and contemporary military equipment, as well as the number of cooperating entities, including foreign ones.

Source of information: https://plzen.eu/o-meste/aktuality/aktuality-z-mesta/plzenske-slavnosti-svobody-navstivi-belgicky-kral/