Venlo in the First World War - Willem Kurstjens

Mobilization: Immediately in August 1914, thousands of Dutch soldiers had to be called to arms to guard the borders. Venlo, as an important border and garrison city, was flooded with military personnel. The cover beautifully illustrates this with a colored historical postcard of a mobilized Dutch soldier, titled "Greetings from Venlo".

The refugee flow: When the German army invaded neighboring Belgium, hundreds of thousands of Belgians fled across the border. Venlo faced an enormous reception crisis, with trains full of exhausted civilians and military personnel arriving who needed to be housed and cared for.

Border control and smuggling: Because Venlo is right on the German border, daily life changed drastically. Strict military border surveillance was introduced. Due to the scarcity of goods in Germany, border smuggling (of foodstuffs and fuel, among other things) thrived among the local population.

Scarce times: The book highlights how the civilian population of Venlo faced distribution, rationing (ration cards), scarcity, and the economic consequences of a Europe engulfed in war.