Madurodam is named after someone who never saw it. , a law student from , fought the German invasion near Rijswijk in May 1940 and was decorated for it. He joined the resistance, was arrested, and died in in 1945 at the age of twenty-eight.
His parents went looking for something to do with their money. had a plan for a miniature city whose takings would go to students with tuberculosis. The Maduro family funded it on one condition: the park would carry their son's name.
It opened in 1952, built at one twenty-fifth of life size. , fourteen at the time, became the city's mayor and held the post until she became queen.
The park still earns money for charity. Walking between the little houses means walking through a memorial disguised as a day out, complete with running trains and a plane leaving the runway.
Our walking routes through the city are ready for anyone who wants to carry on afterwards.
Sources. Story: Madurodam (madurodam.nl) on George Maduro, the founding in 1952 and the charities. George Maduro: Nationaal Comite 4 en 5 mei and the Oorlogsgravenstichting register. Princess Beatrix as mayor: Royal House of the Netherlands. Photos: Source photo: Riki1979 at German Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
