Thanks to André Rieu, even guests from Australia come to The Rose Festival in Lottum. August 14, 2022, The Limburger, By Kitty Borghouts. Photos by Ruud/Ineke and Laurens Eggen. Translation by John de Jong. Cozy crowds with primarily local visitors at the Feast of the Rose last weekend in Lottum. The slimmed-down one-off version of the defunct Rose Festival may well taste like more. Princely, with legs high, Maya Anita Prüm and Anne-Lise Brogiato from Gerolstein in Germany rest from walking along the rose exhibition, on a wooden bench. For the third day in a row this Sunday they are at the Feast of the Rose in Lottum. "I was here four years ago, when it was still a big festival," says Anne- Lise. To be honest, I thought that one was much nicer. The entire village was then decorated, which is not the case now. It's a shame, I think." The two stay a few days in a hotel in Krefeld (Germany). And very strangely, says Anne-Lise, there was no information to be found anywhere about this rose festival. "Other times there was a lot of advertising done in Germany, now we really had to search for it." That this is deliberate, the two ladies do not know. It is no longer the intention that visitors come from far and wide, says chairman Jan Keltjens of the Rosevillage Lottum Foundation. Because then it quickly becomes much too busy again. "The festival as it was last held in 2018 attracted 50,000 visitors. We don't want that anymore. We want to make it more of a local party. We are betting on about 5000 visitors." One Hundred. The Rose Festival succumbed to its own success four years ago. When it started as a brass-band party with a rose exhibition, it soon became bigger and bigger. The whole village was one big festival site. By the busloads visitors came, often from far away. It became increasingly difficult to find hundreds of volunteers from a village of two thousand inhabitants who wanted to put their shoulders to the wheel, says Keltjens. "But the safety regulations also became increasingly complex. And the financial risks became greater. At such a large festival, you're talking about large amounts of money." When no more people could be found for the board of directors, the foundation decided to pull the plug. Because this year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the first rose festival, there is now a one-time event. New board members could still be found. Lots of young people, says Keltjens. There are three hundred volunteers. Elements from the former rose festival can now also be found again. Local groups of friends and associations have made mosaics out of roses. Artists show arrangements. There is plenty of information about the origin of the rose, the role of Lottum in cultivation. And there is a music program, so that visitors after seeing the rose splendor can ensure refreshments afterwards. And it is catching on, the chairman observes. "It's constantly enjoyably busy. The catering service is tops." Nevertheless, this Sunday on the events grounds of top rose garden/rose knowledge center "De Rozenhof," there are quite a few other languages to hear than the Lottum's dialect. Some of the foreign guests come for André Rieu, whose arrival has been announced long in advance. He is there because a new type of rose has been named after him. A red pot rose, developed by the Lottum rose cultivators Frank Coenders and the Serbian Biljana Bozanic. Rieu and Coenders christened the first one with champagne. It's hot, but the tent is bulging. Everyone wants to see the Maestro up close, even if he's not going to make music. There is a visitor from Australia who missed the concerts in Maastricht, and can now still get close to her idol. And the German ladies from Gerolstein have also arrived especially around noon to see Rieu. The warm weather has caused the organization headaches in advance, will the people come? How do we keep the roses fresh for days in a row? By mid-Sunday Keltjens is already quite satisfied with the new-style rose festival. This edition also seems to have succeeded financially. Maybe this tastes like more? Has a foundation been laid for a renewed biennial rose festival? Keltjens does not rule it out, but does not want to go into that yet. "I've learned not to be too quick to say something. We're going to evaluate first. But this is a nice model."

Biljana Bozanic.

Peacock rose mosaic

August 14, 2022. De Limburger, by Kitty Borghouts. Translation by John. After a purple tulip, a Lottum rose now also bears the name of André Rieu, and he likes the rose even better. André Rieu and rose cultivator Frank Coenders christen the new variety. There was already a tulip named after him, but now André Rieu also has a red rose which bears his name. During the Feast of the Rose in Lottum, it was named on Sunday. On the day that he has been married 47 years, and moreover in the middle of his holiday, André Rieu stands on stage in the warm tent of the Feast of the Rose in Lottum. "My house is full of visitors," he says, after the audience spontaneously started singing a "long-may-he-live" at the announcement of his special day. "But of course I come to name this rose, it is a great honor for me. Exactly thirty years ago I gave a performance here at the Market, from which I have warm memories. Earlier a purple tulip has already been named after me, but honestly I think this rose is even more beautiful." Ten Years On the occasion of the Feast of the Rose, a (for the time being) one-time successor of the defunct Rose Festival, a new rose has been developed. "That's a long process," says the Lottum rose cultivator Frank Coenders, who developed the new variety together with Serbian breeder Biljana Bozanic. "It takes about ten years. Crossing, sowing, and then selecting the best from the series and then move on. The result is a rose that is especially strong in fragrance and deep color”, says Bozanic. With two glasses of champagne, Rieu and Coenders together baptized the pot rose. In the coming period, the variety – the series is called 'sense of love' – will be further increased. Coenders and his people have already started on that. "In addition, we listened to Rieu's music during work in recent weeks," he says. "Very inspiring. Roses and classical music are a perfect combination, they are both connecting." The rose village now hopes that the musician will use the rose named after him during his future shows. "I would need to speed up the propagation," says Rieu. "If all my ten million followers want that rose, do you have enough in stock for them?"

If you are interested in reading more about the André Rieu tulip, click HERE. The story is on Sonja Harper’s translation website.This website has been dormant since 2008, and some of the photos and lyrics are no longer in place, but will still give you an impression.

The year 2007. This is a photo of the tulip fields in Breezand, with J. Ligthart, cultivator of the André Rieu tulip. (Later on he moved to the town of Den Helder).

The Johann Strauss tulip was already there. Back then Ineke tried to create a tulip concert in her garden at home (NL). Her dream: André should conduct the Johann Strauss orchestra (which were shorter tulips.) It did not work. André seemed to be a late bloomer (April/May) and the Strauss orchestra finished blooming (March/April), when André’s started to bloom. It was not possible to have them play together. But it was great fun having tried!!

Really beautiful with a blue heart.

Video by Ruud. Photos: Ruud/Ineke. Translation by Ineke/John. Subtitles by Ruud. The translation was a challenge because of the Lottum dialect which we could not always understand well.

A violinist of recycled art in Ruud and Ineke’s garden.

Wedding anniversary. In the interview André mentioned the 14th of August as the day of his 47th wedding anniversary. André and Marjorie have been married since 1975. Diana D. Le found a few lines in the Limburg paper of October 16,1975, announcing André’s and Marjorie’s wedding on October 18th 1975. Wat could be the difference?? Probably August 14th could be the date of their legal wedding and October 18th the date of their church wedding (in the Saint Matthias Church).