NSTnation: On a vast expanse of green not far from the Amsterdam Schiphol international airport stands 298 trees – one for each life lost tragically in a crime against humanity almost six years ago.
Each tree represents one person on board ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which took off from the Schiphol airport and was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
They comprise mostly family members of victims and media from around the world who have converged here for the trial of four men accused of shooting the Boeing 777 out of the sky over eastern Ukraine and murdering all those on board. Officially called National Monument MH17, the memorial was opened on July 17, 2017 in a ceremony attended by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.Funded by donations, the memorial was designed by Dutch artist Ronald A. Westerhuis and landscape architect Robbert de Koning.
The foundation was set up to enable family members of victims, all the"partners in misfortune", to exchange information and receive support. During the peak of summer, the trees are surrounded by a wreath of more than 20,000 sunflowers, reminiscent of the field of flowers in eastern Ukraine where some parts of the plane wreckage were found.
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