Bocholt celebrates "80 years of peace and freedom" with a varied programme

Under the motto "80 years of peace and freedom" and "75 years of the European Union", the European City of Bocholt invites you to a series of events from 8 to 11 May. Bocholt residents and guests from the twin towns and the neighbouring Netherlands can look forward to a varied programme of exhibitions, concerts, theatre and get-together evenings.

Official delegations from the twin towns of Bocholt (Belgium), Rossendale (Great Britain), Aurillac and Arpajon-sur-Cère (France), Akmene (Lithuania) and Verkhniodniprovsk (Ukraine) as well as representatives from the neighbouring Netherlands are expected to attend the celebrations.

Commemorating and celebrating the end of the war

This European peace weekend will kick off on Thursday, 8 May 2025 at 18:00 with the opening of the cross-border exhibition "Freiheitsstrom" at LernWerk Bocholt, Industriestraße 1. German-Dutch artist tandems have created sculptures for this exhibition that stand for peace and freedom.

Water was chosen as the connecting element with the Bocholter Aa and the IJssel in Doetinchem. Afterwards, a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war will take place in the LernWerk event hall at 19:15. The keynote speaker will be the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Verkhniodniprovsk, Gennadii Lebid. The event will be accompanied by music from the Bocholt-Isselburg Music School and a Ukrainian duo from Doetinchem (Netherlands). Participation in these two events is free of charge.

European meeting evening

Friday, 9 May 2025 is all about Europe Day. The European Union is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. More than 100 pupils from the European School "Mariengymnasium Bocholt" will be discussing the topic at LernWerk Bocholt. This will be followed at 12:15 p.m. by the opening of the Mariengymnasium's Europe exhibition entitled " Diversity in the unity of Europe - examined using the Apollonian-Dionysian pair of concepts" at the Bocholt Media Centre, Hindenburgstraße 5. The exhibition can be seen until 23 May 2025 during the opening hours of the media centre and is co-financed by a separate Europe cheque from the state government.

For organisational reasons, the performance by Placebo Theatre had to be cancelled. It will be rescheduled for later in the year, the city has announced.

Setting off into the future of town twinning

On Friday, 9 May 2025, the official delegations will discuss the future direction of their city partnerships. The background to this is that a new strategy for international relations is to be drawn up in the European city of Bocholt.

The delegations from the friendly and partner cities are to get things off to a joint start. In the afternoon, the delegations will visit the "Nationaal Onderduikmuseum" National Underwater Museum) in Aalten (Netherlands). In the evening, the city of Bocholt will welcome the delegations from the twin towns at the Mussum home town centre as part of an evening of European encounters with musical accompaniment from European bands. Representatives of associations, schools and institutions that maintain contacts with the friendly and twin towns will also be present.

Charity concert and closing concert

Saturday, 10 May 2025, will be dedicated to solidarity with Ukraine. A concert mass will be held in St. George's Church at 18:30 under the motto "80 Years of Peace and Freedom" by the choir community - consisting of the St. George's Church Choir, the project choir "City Partnerships" Bocholt and the Stadskoor Bredevoort (Netherlands).

A wind ensemble will also be taking part. The donations from the door collection will go to Ukraine Aid for Bocholt's twin town Verkhniodniprovsk. The series of events for the European Peace Weekend will conclude on Sunday, 11 May 2025 at 11 a.m. with the almost sold-out concert by the Bocholt-Isselburg Music School in the Drosselsaal of the LWL-Museum Textilwerk Bocholt, Industriestrasse 5.

Support from the state of NRW

With the state initiative "Europe Cheques", the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia supports outstanding projects of European commitment that promote European values in NRW in a variety of ways, strengthen the idea of Europe in civil society and the municipal family and bring people closer to the different facets of a living democracy. The European Peace Weekend in Bocholt is also co-financed by the "Europe cheque".