(WWII) Partisans in the Grecht

In December 1942, the communist resistance in Aarschot was organized from Leuven. In the Grecht, for example, there was a strong core of the Partisans, the armed wing of the Independence Front. In Aarschot, the Partisans were mainly active in taking care of a considerable number of Russian prisoners of war who had escaped from the Limburg coal mines.

The partisans were quite violent. Not only did they commit sabotage, but they raided post offices to obtain ration stamps and did not hesitate to shoot members of the Black Brigade or alleged collaborators.

Even after the liberation, the influence of the communists did not seem to be underestimated. For example, at the end of the liberation year of 1944, the women in the Grecht came out on the streets protesting loudly and marching behind a black flag. Because the supply got off to a bad start, they demanded from the city council a faster and more equitable distribution of the necessities of life.

Despite the conspicuous presence of the communists in Aarschot, they would not win a single seat in the first municipal elections in 1946.

Toerisme Aarschot