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Heerlen municipality logo
Heerlen municipality logo

Heritage Year

Heritage Year 2025

In the Year of Heerlen Heritage, we are reliving Heerlen's rich past, from Roman times and Middle Ages to mining history and transition years. There is room for different subcultures and untold stories. With an eye for everyone's background, we not only look back, but also forward.

A year of heritage fun in Heerlen

The final month of the Year of Heerlen Heritage has begun. On Saturday, December 20, a special outdoor performance at the Schelmenhofje will mark not only the end of this theme year but also the beginning of a new adventure: the opening of the Schelmentoren. In the meantime, there are still plenty of (free) activities you can participate in.  

Future activities  

Below is a current overview of events and activities that shape the Year of Heerlen Heritage. Making the past visible and experienceable in the present is the thread that runs through the program. We update this page every week. So check back regularly to see the list of activities. 

View the program ↓

The Heritage Year program

  • Book presentation: The Literary Heritage of Heerlen

    Date:  

    Time:   -

    Location:
    Van der Velden van Dam Bookstore (Promenade 153-155)

    On Wednesday, December 10, we will conclude with the launch of the Adventure Lab Heerlen Literary Heritage. This includes a book, which will be presented today during this event.

    Book launch

  • Kool Cult Wrap Up 2025

    Date:  

    Time:   -

    Location:
    Royal Theater Heerlen

    What does Heerlen look like through the eyes of skaters, photographers, and filmmakers?
    This event brings together skate culture, graffiti, documentary film, and local stories. With new work by Miko Brepols, films by Ntan and others, a panel discussion with food, and four additional films from With One Eye Open, we end the year in a raw, honest, and inspiring way.

    Exposition

  • Soccer Café Heerlen 4th edition

    Date:  

    Location:
    Gate of Herle

    Fancy a Friday afternoon drink in true soccer style? Kick off the weekend at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 12, at the Voetbal Café in the Poort van Herle.

    Soccer
To the total program overview

Articles

Too late for subsidy? True.
Too late for fun? Absolutely not!

The time for grant applications is over. August 15, 2025 was truly the very, very last chance. But the Heritage Year is far from over! Until December we will continue the program, which was shaped from the bottom up, with commitment and pride by Heerlen citizens. Because heritage is much more than what is in display cases or on monument lists. During the Heritage Year, heritage is a shared, living practice: not a dusty label, but a connecting force between people, generations and communities. It is about what people find important to preserve and pass on. Stories, rituals, images and rhythms that resonate in the present.

What is heritage and why is it important?

We often describe heritage as our inheritance from the past, by which we live in the present. We pass this legacy on to future generations so that they too can learn from it, admire it and enjoy it. Heritage, then, is something you inherit. It contributes to your identity and connects the community. It tells something about where we come from, who we are, and how we develop. 

There is intangible heritage and tangible heritage. What is the difference?

  • Intangible heritage is heritage that cannot be touched, for example, traditions, stories, songs, rituals, languages and knowledge about ancient trades and crafts.
  • Material heritage can be touched, such as buildings, works of art and collections. Material heritage is again divided into two groups, these are movable heritage and immovable heritage. Movable heritage is movable and immovable heritage is not.

Examples of heritage include:

  • Roman bathhouse is the oldest stone building in the Netherlands
  • Developments and construction projects in Heerlen for growth and diversity of the city
  • Traditions, music and dance

What initiative could I suggest?

Come up with a good idea that focuses on Heerlen's heritage and connects to the themes: Romans, Knights and Robbers, Mine Age, the Transition Years and the Future.

We call on you to spotlight your version of Heerlen. Think of family stories and anecdotes, a piece of music or your opinion about our Heritage in a debate. But also, for example, an event. Think of a dance battle, a story contest, a gabber party in the Royal or a historical walk in your neighborhood. Above all, let your creativity speak!  

You can no longer apply for a grant for the Year of Heerlen Heritage. However, the municipality can refer you to other grant providers.  

Which cultural and heritage institutions are participating?

In SCHUNCK, Parkstad Limburg Theater, De Nieuwe Nor, Kasteel Hoensbroek, the Roman Museum, the Dutch Mining Museum, Filmhuis De Spiegel and the Cultuurhuis Heerlen, the story of Heerlen in 2025 comes to life. But also during our events such as the Week of Amateur Arts, Cultura Nova, Booch! and, for example, Schrit_tmacher. And educational programs for schools are also coming. These will follow around September.