The people of Utrecht have given this robust statue by Corinne Franzén-Heslenfeld the somewhat disrespectful nickname ‘Mien with her ice-cream cone’. The 10m-high statue was unveiled by the late Prince Bernhard and commemorates the victims of World War II in general and the victims of the Utrecht Resistance in particular. A conscious decision was made to have a statue of a lady bearing a torch, as women played an important role in the Resistance during the five-year war. The grotesque shapes are also deliberate, as the statue would otherwise be minimised by the Dom Cathedral’s majestic appearance in the background. The pedestal is inscribed with a poem by Jan Engelman and Utrechters observe National Remembrance Day here every year.
