The Netherlands fell silent at 8 pm on Sunday to remember the Dutch who died during World War II and in subsequent conflicts and peacekeeping missions.

The ceremony began as king Willem-Alexander and queen Máxima laid a wreath at the war memorial on Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, in front of a crowd of thousands of people.

Unlike last year, there were no attendance limits or security checks. However, extra police were on duty, broadcaster NOS said.

At restaurant Mamas and Tapas in Amsterdam, staff brought food to the tables and told customers that there would be two minutes of silence. As it approached 8 pm, the dining area fell silent and a gong sounded.

After two minutes, conversation resumed gradually. “It is a bit surreal to be in a restaurant at this time,” one customer told Dutch News. “In Arnhem we are used to laying flowers at graves and all the cars stopping at 8 pm.”

“In my 37 years I only remember being silent at 8 pm,” said another. “It is always very impressive how everyone stops.”

Restaurant owner Željko Odziċ told Dutch News that he has always marked the May 4 ceremony. “We need to remember,” he said. “We need to learn from the past, and we need to pass on to others the horrors of war.”

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On Dam Square, after the two minutes of silence, the children and grandchildren of different groups of victims – from relatives of resistance fighters to the military – laid wreaths at the monument and spoke of their experiences.

Prime minister Dick Schoof then gave a speech in which he spoke about his grandfather, who was shot by a firing squad for his resistance work during the war. He had been involved in setting up an illegal telephone network.

In “a world full of war”, people are losing sight of one another and compassion is disappearing – including in the Netherlands, Schoof said.

“At the darkest moments, we hear the echo of the past,” the prime minister said. In the two minutes of silence “we think of all those who were murdered for who they were, who died of hunger or exhaustion, or who fought for peace and freedom. Our peace and freedom.”

Genocide

An alternative ceremony was held in The Hague on Sunday evening to broaden the commemorations and to remember everyone in the Netherlands who has fled war, genocide or persecution.

Remembrance Day was observed on Saturday in some orthodox Protestant communities such as Urk and Staphorst so as not to disturb the Sunday rest.

On Monday, the Netherlands celebrates Liberation Day, with festivals throughout the country.