The Ritterbecher, you can’t miss it
Author: Municipality of Simpelveld
Photography: Municipality of Simpelveld
At the location where the N281 crosses the Bocholtzerweg in Simpelveld, a landmark has been installed today in the shape of an enormous Roman vase. This Ritterbecher is the completion of an artwork by Tanja Ritterbex, the Lady Gaga of contemporary art. Tanja, who grew up in Bocholtz, has transformed the dull concrete viaduct into a colourful and meaningful place intended to make passers-by curious about the remarkable Roman past of this region. Tanja: “A Roman amphora served as the model for the vase, but also my imagination. I like that the vase has three handles. Because of that, it has no front or back. Drivers can see this landmark from every direction, whether they come from Germany, Belgium or the Netherlands.”
Alderman Hub Hodinius: “Tanja Ritterbex lives and works in Berlin. She has earned her reputation and is building an international career. It is very special that this driven and passionate artist has given something back to the region where she comes from with the Ritterbecher.”
The artwork by Tanja Ritterbex is part of the IBA project Roman Villa Landscape, in which the municipality of Simpelveld cooperates with IBA Parkstad. One of the aims of IBA Parkstad is to make the qualities of the long and fertile past of the region more visible as points of orientation in the landscape. According to Mathea Severeijns, director of IBA Parkstad, the Ritterbecher and the painted bridge pillars fit perfectly within this mission. “Moreover, the project creates a connection at the South Limburg level with other projects linked to the Roman past in which IBA is involved, including the Roman Quarter in the centre of Heerlen and the Via Belgica,” says Severeijns.
Alderman Hodinius hopes that passers-by become curious because of the cheerful Ritterbecher and start wondering what this landmark marks. “The municipality of Simpelveld has a lot to offer: a Roman valley and a picturesque village centre in Bocholtz, a nostalgic station with a steam train in operation, an awe-inspiring museum in an old monastery, a special hillside forest with gnarled giants and the most beautiful view of South Limburg from the top of the Huls. In short: well worth not passing the Simpelveld exit without attention.”
In the photo from left to right: Toon Hezemans (initiator), alderman Hub Hodinius, Tanja Ritterbex, Mathea Severeijns (director IBA Parkstad), and Jules Beckers (initiator).
