{"id":17835,"date":"2020-04-10T10:48:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T08:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/stichting-linea-recta-bestaat-125-jaar\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T20:35:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:35:54","slug":"stichting-linea-recta-bestaat-125-jaar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/stichting-linea-recta-bestaat-125-jaar\/","title":{"rendered":"Linea Recta Foundation celebrates 12.5 years!"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":{"categorie":33,"afbeelding":8692,"auteur":"Ankie Bosch","fotografie":"Ties Pijpers","contentbuilder":[{"acf_fc_layout":"tekst","tekst":"In 2006, artist John van den Berg cycles with a friend along the Via Belgica. Once home, he translates that bike ride into an enormous scrapbook. He supplements drawings and photos with background information, maps of the surroundings, and a poem. That scrapbook, his daughter Eefke says, is the beginning of the Linea Recta Foundation, which has now been putting the Roman past of Landgraaf on the map for 12.5 years.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;"},{"acf_fc_layout":"tekst_foto","tekst":"Eefke Bos beams as she shows the book. In fact, she beams the entire time. She is proud of her father, that much is clear. The book, she says, was originally intended as an art project. An inspiration book. During activities, the volunteers always bring it with them: \u201cIt attracts people. People enjoy looking through it, they become inspired themselves. And it\u2019s a great way to start a conversation.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne thing leads to another: from a scrapbook to a citizens\u2019 initiative, from a citizens\u2019 initiative to a social goal, and eventually to a foundation. The big question: how do you bring the rich Roman past of Landgraaf to people\u2019s attention? Because even if the past lies right under your nose, you need to know where to look in order to see it.","foto":8698},{"acf_fc_layout":"tekst_foto","tekst":"<h3>Awareness<\/h3>\r\n\u201cWe started with an awareness project,\u201d Eefke explains. Using four artistic elements, the project Via Linea Recta aims to make Landgraaf aware of its Roman roots.\r\nA Roman procession from Schaesberg to a Roman market in Rimburg is the first crowd-puller. Then follows a book, The Amulet of the Lichtberg, which tells the life story of the Roman legionary Lucas. That book, too, is by John, who brings the story further to life in 52 paintings exhibited in De Dormig in Schaesberg.\r\n\r\nThere was also a theatre concert planned, but for financial reasons it has been postponed.\r\n\u201cThe awareness project lasted three years,\u201d says Eefke. \u201cSince then, The Amulet of the Lichtberg has been the starting point for everything we do. It\u2019s also great for schools. If you give children a potsherd, it doesn\u2019t mean much to them. But if you tell them a story and show them the paintings, you spark their imagination. That\u2019s also the idea behind the book. Once you\u2019ve read it, you look at the Herenweg with completely different eyes.\u201d","foto":8710},{"acf_fc_layout":"foto_tekst","foto":8704,"tekst":"<h3>Obelix<\/h3>\r\nVolunteers of Linea Recta usually take a teaching box with them to schools.\r\nEefke: \u201cWe have a Roman helmet that the children can put on. We usually bring the scrapbook as well. And we often go on a plateau walk of about 5 kilometres to Op de Bies and the Vrouwengraf.\u201d\r\nThe volunteers are also ready for other interested groups: \u201cIf you want to go on a themed walk with your hiking group, we have a guide for you. You can also add a lecture or workshop,\u201d Eefke says. \u201cOur chairperson works on the history of food, so you can even request a workshop with food.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor all these activities, Eefke is the first point of contact. The other volunteers support her where needed. \u201cWe have people who carry chairs and tables, someone who manages Facebook, others who deliver flyers or staff the information stand. If I need help, for example at a workshop making scented pouches or mosaics, I see who is available. One of our volunteers even once carried a column like Obelix!\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"tekst_foto","tekst":"<h3>Friends<\/h3>\r\nLinea Recta works closely with other businesses and organisations.\r\nEefke: \u201cBakery Aroma, for example, has developed the Roman Roll, a roll made with spelt. You can divide it into four parts because it was a daily ration. And there\u2019s a little string attached: to hold it, but also to hang it out of reach of vermin.\u201d\r\nOther companies are also supportive of the foundation: \u201cThe campsites, for example, scouting groups, or CPFXL, a printing and graphics company. They have supported us from the beginning so that we can achieve something together.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cOn 4 October, during the next Festival Via Belgica, we hope to do something together with other Friends,\u201d she continues. \u201cAfter all, we\u2019re all looking in the same direction.\u201d\r\nBefore that happens, a retrospective exhibition in honour of the 12.5-year anniversary is planned, although due to the coronavirus it has been postponed from spring 2020 to a later date.","foto":7483},{"acf_fc_layout":"tekst_foto","tekst":"<h3>Travellers\u2019 group<\/h3>\r\nAt the time of writing, work is well underway on completing a painting under the viaduct at Haanweg. The artwork is one of the ideas that father John had already recorded in the scrapbook.\r\nOn the walls, the outlines of a travellers\u2019 group appear: a daytime version towards J\u00fclich and Cologne, a nighttime version towards Heerlen and Maastricht.\r\nRhythm of the Days will be the title, a reference to the coming and going of travellers, as still happens today. The painting is done by volunteers; all materials are sponsored.\r\nThe date of the unveiling is yet to be decided. Meanwhile, passers-by can already admire the progress.","foto":8734},{"acf_fc_layout":"tekst_quote","tekst":"<h3>Dreams<\/h3>\r\nDoes Eefke still have dreams for Linea Recta?\r\n\u201cI would love for the real main route, as far as it is known, to be signposted. I\u2019m not into digital tools\u2014I want to see something when I\u2019m walking. Right now, the main route is 70 km by stringing together detours, while the real route is only 34 km. We worry that true theme-cyclists might drop out because of that. Whereas when they come and see how beautiful it is here\u2026\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd of course, there are still plenty of ideas in her father\u2019s scrapbook.\r\nSuch as a Roman park on a field in Rimburg (Eefke: \u201cAfter ploughing and rain he often goes to have a look\u201d) or a Via Belgica tune.\r\nEach idea comes with a whole story.\r\n\u201cI can talk for hours,\u201d laughs Eefke as she closes the scrapbook. \u201cWhen dad started, I told him I would help him for one day. It completely got out of hand.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","quote":"\u201cWhen dad started, I told him I would help him for one day. It completely got out of hand.\u201d","naam":"Eefke Bos"},{"acf_fc_layout":"slideshow","slideshow":[8725,8731,8719,8716,8695,8689,8683,8686]}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17835"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17839,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17835\/revisions\/17839"}],"acf:term":[{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"category","href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}