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Logo of the municipality of Heerlen
Logo of the municipality of Heerlen

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.

Summer full of heritage fun in Heerlen

Have you already discovered this summer's Year of Heerlen Heritage? There's lots of fun stuff planned, with something for everyone! For young and old, there is plenty to do! Like the district gatherings of Stichting Open Monumentendag Heerlen. Get active with family or friends and discover special gems in Hoensbroek during the geocache event. Or walk past the brand new neon artwork by Chaim van Luit in the Plaarstraat. 

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

  • Roman villas in Limburg

    Date:   to

    Location:
    The Find (Raadhuisplein 20, Heerlen)

    The traveling exhibition Roman Villas in Limburg lands for its final stop in Heerlen. Here you will admire archaeological treasures that provide an intimate glimpse into life on Roman estates in Limburg.

    Exhibition

  • Chaim van Luit: On Bearing Hands

    Date:   to

    Location:
    Plaarstraat, Heerlen-Centrum

    In the summer of 2025, the center of Heerlen will be enriched by Op Handen Dragen, a neon artwork by Chaim van Luit (1985, Heerlen).

    Art

  • My Tattoo (location: Heerlerheide)

    Date:   to

    Location:
    Cornelius Square, Heerlerheide

    For the Year of Heerlen Heritage, photographer Wouter Zaalberg and lyricist Leonie Kohl have put together a special open-air exhibition. In My Tattoo, individuals who have a deep connection to Heerlen's mining past are portrayed.

    Exposition
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.