Gronsveld

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Gronsveld (Dutch)
Groéselt (Limburgish)

Coat of arms

Coordinates: 50°48′N 5°43′E / 50.8, 5.717

Country

Netherlands

Province

Limburg

Population (2005)

- Total

3,200

Source: CBS, Statline.

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

- Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Statue of the 'Grenedeer' in Gronsveld

Historic Windmill

Castle Gronsveld

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.^[1] 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 is 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 is 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.