Photo series Liberation of Antwerp, donation by Kenis family. Collection

The topics of the 69 photos in this collection include : Wehrmacht soldiers in Antwerp ; parades of collaborating organisations such as youth movements (Nationaal-Socialistisch Jeugd Vlaanderen (NSJV), Hitler Youth…) ; the evacuation of German troops on 3 and 4 September 1944, using all types of transportation ; victims of the bombardment on Mortsel-Oude God arriving in Antwerp ; arrival of members of the Belgian resistance and allied troops in Gemeentestraat ; the pillage of shops and the destruction of street signs ; the forced transfer of captured Belgian collaborators and German soldiers to the Antwerp Zoo ; the hanging of a doll resembling Hitler ; photos of mister H. Goossens' chocolate shop before and after the V1 bombardment. Mister Goossens added comments to 31 photos. Contact Kazerne Dossin Documentation Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu Chocolatier (Karel?) Goossens owned a chocolate shop at Gemeentestraat in Antwerp. He employed Hélène Kenis, sister of the donor's aunt Mariette Kenis, as a shop assistant. From 1942 until the end of the war, the shop was closed due to a lack of raw materials and a decreasing demand for chocolates. In 1942-1944, chocolatier Goossens photographed street scenes from the first floor of the building. He documented Liberation from the same spot and also took photos in the streets of Antwerp during the days following the arrival of the allied troops. In the months after Liberation, the store was damaged during one of the V1 bombardments on Antwerp. It was later rebuilt. When mister Goossens died in February 1953, Helene Kenis took over the store. She passed away in May 2003.