In honour of the deceased founders of the Herzog Limburg Trail Frits Sprokel, Jack Buck and Jan Ruiters - this year's program will follow shortly as a downloadable folder.
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BRF 1 Radio interview with Ambassadeur Jörg Schmitz-Gielsdorf on the occasion of this year's HLP commemoration in Limbourg!
Listen to the interview (see below)
Program
11h00 - 12h00 Holy Mass in the garden of the Ambassade
12h30 - 13h30 Guided tour of historic Limbourg
14h00 - 14h30 Flag-waving on the Place Saint Georges
14h30 - 15h00 The fire-eaters on the Place Saint Georges
15h00 - 17h00 Choir "The Moselle Singers" in the garden of the Ambassade
The Duke of Limburg Trail connects the regions within the cultural and historical area of the old Duchy of Limburg. The Dukes of Limburg, who resided in the old castle fortress of Limburg in Walloon Belgium, were buried in the venerable Rolduc Abbey - today located in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The Duke Limburg Trail runs over 10 stages and 144 kilometers through this ancient duchy. It touches on the shared culture and nature of today's Euregio Meuse-Rhine, including the border regions of the Aachen city region in Germany.
The Duke Limburg Trail is an international cultural project supported by the European Union in Brussels. The aim is to sensitize the population of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine to their common cultural and religious roots. The cross-border experience of nature on the Herzog Limburg Trail and the encounter with the common culture in this region, which today is divided by the national borders of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, enables hikers to revitalize the friendship that is so important in transcending borders.
For this reason, the Dutch Stichting Hertog-Limburg-Pad (HLP) organizes an annual town festival at the starting point of the Duke Limburg Trail in the historic capital of the old Duchy of Limburg. Traditionally, this commemorative day begins with an open-air mass in memory of the founders of the Duke Limburg Trail, Frits Sprokel, Jack Buck and Jan Ruiters, in the garden of the Ambassade du Pays de Rode, located in the Ville Historique.
During this popular commemorative event, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the historic Place Saint Georges in the equally historic and colorful bunting of Rolduc Abbey, accompanied by the medieval sounds of Gregorian chants. The revered cultural association of St. Catharine's Abbey - the patron guild of Rolduc Abbey - is making the guild's valuable banners available to the organizers of the HLP commemorative festival.
As one of the main events, the board members of Stichting HLP Jo Heunen, Hub Kusters and Koen Mens guide guests who enjoy walking through the Hertogenwald nature reserve - the former hunting grounds of the Dukes of Limburg. In addition, an extensive program is offered to the numerous annual visitors.
What happened?
After seven years of sunshine in late October for the commemorative festival, this year the skies gave us heavy, uninterrupted rain on Sunday! However, Dean Stanis Kanda found the right words: "The sun shines from within! Get to know your neighbors personally! And, as if all the guests deeply understood these words, they celebrated the commemoration in high spirits despite the rain and cool temperatures! Catharina Scholtens guided the history-loving visitors through historic Limbourg for a good hour, all armed with umbrellas. Enthusiastic guests returned, now fully aware of the historical features of the old capital of the duchy. Then the fire breathers tried their hand! But despite their best efforts, they were unable to light their torches properly in the rain. Nevertheless, they sent many a flag of fire into the sky before giving in to the showers! The flag-wavers from Würselen also made an appearance, but had to protect their valuable historical flags from the rain! The Moselle singers knew what they had to do! With their atmospheric songs, they lifted the guests above the clouds and showed them the sun of their souls! A big compliment to all the guests from near and far for their commitment! A big compliment to all the participants for their commitment! Together we succeeded in organizing a wonderful festival despite the rain. Many new guests! And above all, many guests from all over the Euregio, who were able to experience their cultural diversity, their historical backgrounds and their linguistic affinities.