Lichtenvoorde

Lichtenvoorde is a town in the east of the Netherlands, in the municipality of Oost Gelre.

Lichtenvoorde
Town
Protestant St John church
Flag Coat of arms
Lichtenvoorde Location in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands Show map of Gelderland Lichtenvoorde Lichtenvoorde (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands
Coordinates: 51°59′17″N 6°34′11″E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Gelderland
Municipality	Oost Gelre
Area [1]
• Total	11.49 km2 (4.44 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	21 m (69 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	12,910
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	7131 & 7132[1]
Dialing code	0544

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.

Gallery

• 
  The boulder in the marketplace
• 
  Catholic church in Lichtenvoorde
• 
  Farm at the open-air museum Erve Kots in Lievelde
• 
  Catholic church in Zieuwent
• 
  Vragender Village
• 
  Windmill Hermien in Harreveld