His Majesty the King will visit the House of the Netherlands in Münster on Thursday, September 25, which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. The host is Minister-President Wüst of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the afternoon, the King will visit the 1 German-Dutch Corps (1 GNC) together with Federal President Steinmeier, which is also celebrating its thirtieth anniversary.
House of the Netherlands 30th anniversary
The House of the Netherlands houses the Center for Dutch Studies, the Institute for Dutch Philology, and a library with the largest collection of Dutch literature and publications in Germany. It is a place where Germans, Dutch, Belgians, and others discuss the future of Europe. After a short plenary program with speeches, the King will visit the exhibition Dutch in 3D. Based on four themes; Dutch language, Europe and Politics, Literature and Library, and Economic Cooperation, the collaboration in the border region will be presented. The King will also be informed about the Euregional Continuous Learning Line (EDL) that prepares students for working in the border area. Finally, the King will meet representatives of organizations that collaborate with the House of the Netherlands.
The program continues at Schloss Wilkinghege, where Federal President Steinmeier will host the King and Minister-President Wüst for lunch.
Subsequently, the King, the Federal President, and the Minister-President will depart for the headquarters of the 1 German-Dutch Corps in Münster, where they will attend a welcome ceremony for the thirtieth anniversary. The corps was established in 1995 as a binational cooperation. It has since grown into a fully integrated NATO headquarters with soldiers from twelve countries. In the coming year, four more countries will join. 1 GNC is alternately led by a German and a Dutch commander and is capable of commanding an international force of over 50,000 soldiers in a crisis area. After the welcome ceremony, there will be a plenary presentation on the history and future of the corps. Following that, there will be a tour of various military displays. The visit will conclude with discussions about working in a multinational environment.
The King attended the 20th anniversary of 1 GNC on August 27, 2015.
RVD, nr. 233