Lichtenvoorde

Lichtenvoorde is a town in the east of the Netherlands, in the municipality of Oost Gelre.

Lichtenvoorde holds a flower parade (bloemencorso) every September at the start of its annual festival. The parade features floats covered in flowers (usually dahlias) in imaginative designs depicting a variety of themes.

Lichtenvoorde has a motocross circuit on which international grands prix are held.

History

Lichtenvoorde was the name of a municipality that included the town and the villages of Lievelde, Zieuwent, Vragender and Harreveld, until 1 January 2005, when all were merged into the municipality of Oost Gelre.

Its inhabitants are known colloquially as keienslöppers (boulder draggers) due to a historic event. On 15 March 1874, 99 of the town's shoemakers dragged a 20 ton boulder a distance of around four kilometres to the marketplace to serve as a centerpiece for commemoration of King William III's silver jubilee, after 25 years on the country's throne. The boulder remains there to this day, topped by a stone lion holding the town's coat of arms.

Gallery

• Lichtenvoorde lion
  The boulder in the marketplace
• Catholic church in Lichtenvoorde
  Catholic church in Lichtenvoorde
• Farm at the open-air museum Erve Kots in Lievelde
  Farm at the open-air museum Erve Kots in Lievelde
• Catholic church in Zieuwent
  Catholic church in Zieuwent
• Vragender Village
  Vragender Village
• Windmill Hermien in Harreveld
  Windmill Hermien in Harreveld

External links

• Website of Oost Gelre