D'Kanner vun der Kielener Primärschoul hu fläisseg geüübt. / © Anne Wolff / RTL
On the eve of National Day festivities, the Grand Ducal couple's annual visit will be to Kehlen, where no effort was spared to prepare for the event.
Every year, the Grand Ducal couple visits a different municipality on the evening before the National Day festivities. This year, they chose Kehlen for their visit on Saturday and on Friday, preparations were in full swing.
We were present in Kehlen on Friday afternoon to get a behind-the-scenes look at the efforts and preparations involved in welcoming the Grand Ducal visit.
Shortly after 2 PM in the sports hall of Kehlen's primary school, the excitement was already palpable as the children prepared for their dress rehearsal. Nearly 400 children prepared to perform in the national colors of red, white, and blue.
Danielle Hartert, a nursery school teacher, was in charge of rehearsals. She explained, "I rewrote the lyrics of one song and adapted another. The little ones will be performing a dance to these songs(...) They're so excited and very proud that the Grand Duke, the head of the country, is coming here. And it is indeed very exciting!"
The initial preparations began four months ago when the Office of the Marshal of the Court contacted Kehlen. Since then, there has been close collaboration among various services, amounting to several hundred hours of work, explains Jean-Marc Derigat, who is responsible for communication in the municipality.
Meetings were held with the police and the Marshal's Office to implement security measures. "From the start, we worked with the police and the entire security staff. We identified critical points and made some adjustments. Tomorrow, before the couple arrives, there will be another inspection to ensure everything is in order," affirms Derigat.
An additional budget of €70,000 was approved for the visit. Over 20 associations will be present on Saturday, explains Mayor Félix Eischen. The Grand-Ducal couple will spend about two minutes at each association stand, but the mayor is "certain it will work out perfectly!"
The proceeds from the associations will go to the partner municipality of Meckenbeuren in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, which was heavily affected by recent floods.
