Lichtenvoorde

Lichtenvoorde
Town
Protestant St John church
Lichtenvoorde
Location in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands
Lichtenvoorde
Lichtenvoorde (Netherlands)
Coordinates: 51°59′17″N 6°34′11″E / 51.98806°N 6.56972°E / 51.98806; 6.56972
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceGelderland
MunicipalityOost Gelre
Area
 • Total
11.49 km2 (4.44 sq mi)
Elevation21 m (69 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total
12,910
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
7131 & 7132[1]
Dialing code0544

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.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Postcodetool for 7131AA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 13 April 2022.