Everything about Gronsveld totally explained
Gronsveld is a village in the
Dutch province of
Limburg. It is located in the municipality of
Eijsden, about 5 km southeast of
Maastricht.
Gronsveld was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with Eijsden.
The municipality also included
Rijckholt,
Eckelrade,
Heugem (now part of
Maastricht) and
Honthem.
The derivation of the name—which translates to "green field"—is uncertain, although it's commonly accepted to be quite literally referring to its evergreen pastures, and indeed the village is favourably situated at the foot of the Margraten Plateau which retains water in its bedrock. This provides for a constant gentle irrigation, and the lush clay soil carried here by the
Meuse River is excellent for growing fruit trees. Therefore, there are two fruit auction facilities in the village.
Gronsveld used to be an autonomous county until the end of the ancienne regime at the closing of the
eighteenth century and was part of the
imperial circle of
Westphalia.
Its first and most famous count was Josse Maximilaan van Gronsveld né van Bronckhorst who fought in the
Thirty Years' War and invented the
Gronsfeld cipher, a
substitution cipher.
The lords, barons and counts of Gronsfeld had the right to mint their own coins which were frequently banned from circulation elsewhere because of their insufficient weight and/or alloy.
Gronsveld has a rich tradition when it comes to folklore. The local marching band
Koninklijke Harmonie van Gronsveld est. 1835 and the Koninklijke Schutterij St. Sebastianus (= historic 'army') est. 1619 are the most well known parts of this.
Also, every year the village celebrates the traditional
bronck, which dates back to the middle ages when the people of the village would honour God in order to get a good harvest.
The village is then ruled by a king and his queen. Every four years (most recent occurrence 2004) this position is 'battled' for. Who will be king is determined on
Pentecost Monday by a contest where the candidates take turns shooting a wooden bird atop a long pole on the church square. Whoever manages to shoot the bird down will be king. Two weeks after Pentecost the actual celebrations start. During these three days (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) the king and his army make their way through the whole village clearing road blocks (put there as a reminder of the problems the ran into in the old days) along the way. On Sunday there's also a mass and prosession through the village.
Two weeks after these celebrations, the king and queen treat the whole village to a so-called 'koffietafel' (literally: coffee table). Which includes drinks and the traditional limburgish pastry
vlaai.
Historic buildings in Gronsveld include: the castle, the historic windmill from 1623 and the church built in the 1700's. Another beloved landmark of the village is the
Savelsbos, a beautiful and protected forest in the hilly surroundings.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gronsveld'.
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