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Our national tricolor was, especially after World War II, the symbol of freedom. Hence, on the tenth anniversary of the liberation, the General Committee of The Hague chose to place a flagpole in front of the new city hall on the Burgemeester de Monchyplein. On May 5, 1955, a competition was held among architects and sculptors for a permanent design. The name Irene in this monument refers to the Princess Irene Brigade that on May 8, 1945 was the first Allied unit to enter The Hague after the German capitulation.

From the entries, the jury selected the design submitted by architect J.J.A. Smets and sculptor Aart van den IJssel. Their monument is composed of three main components: a pedestal, on it a framework with birds and a high flagpole. On the bronze framework, representing the occupation, are five birds, one for each year of the war. Three of them beat their wings against the bars. The lower one is trapped, while the upper one flies into the sky on its way to freedom. A text in the edge of the pedestal completes the symbolism of the sculpture:

Remember the sacrifices required to regain the joys of freedom.
Think of the daily sacrifice that the growth of freedom demands of You.

Although Van den IJssel did not incorporate any armoured or spiky figures in this highly symbolic liberation monument, it is still clearly recognisable as his work. The angular shape of the birds and the way they have been applied to the frame betray his handwriting. Van den IJssel was particularly well known for his metal, insect-like creatures, horses and horsemen with vicious protrusions and armour. Moreover, he preferred to give his ideas form in metal.

The Irene Liberation Monument was unveiled in 1959 by Mayor H.A.M.T. Kolfschoten on the Burgemeester De Monchyplein. After the demolition of the old city hall in 2004 the monument was placed some 150 metres further on. Near the Nassauplein.