On Saturday, April 27, 2025, the Oranienstadt Dillenburg and the Dillenburger Museumsverein e.V. are celebrating "Koningsdag" (King's Day) together with citizens in the area of the Schlossberg grounds with a variety of free activities. A varied family program was put together with a flea market, a small bouncy castle area, craft corner and children's face painting, selfie station, food and drinks as well as a musical program.
Every year on April 27, the Dutch celebrate the birthday of their head of state King Willem-Alexander with gigantic street parties and open-air markets. To express our solidarity with the Netherlands, we simply join in the celebrations!
Cordial invitation to participate in the "Vrijmarkt" (flea market) at Villa Grün
The King's Day begins on Saturday morning at 11.00 a.m. with a flea market in the park of Villa Grün. Everyone - whether private individuals, associations or business people - is cordially invited to set up a flea market stall free of charge and without prior registration. Please bring your own tables, blankets or similar items to present your wares. The Dillenburg public library will also be on site with an interesting book stall. Here you can make crowns or create your own buttons to your heart's content. Visitors to the Königstag can browse, haggle, bargain and discover all kinds of treasures until late in the evening.
You can also marvel at the new special photo exhibition "Sehsuchtsorte" at the Museum Villa Grün
The museums on the Schlossberg grounds are also opening their doors and offering discounted admission to Villa Grün and the Wilhelmsturm. On this day, the special photo exhibition "Places of Longing" can be seen in Villa Grün. The reduced admission price of 2 euros for adults and 1 euro for children (up to the age of 16) entitles visitors to visit both of the aforementioned museums. Visitors will receive a small surprise while stocks last.
The Dillenburg trio "Ayrgathán" will be on site from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and will delight guests as a walking act. "Ayrgathán" are the thoroughbred musicians Nicole Emmerich, Sonja "Sanny" Weber and Sebastian "Buddy" Eisentraut.
Another activity is the selfie station, in keeping with the motto "Holland as a guest in Dillenburg". Take a photo with you and the Dutch royal couple as a lasting memory.
At around 4 p.m., visitors to the King's Day will be invited to take part in a photo flash mob. Free orange give-aways in the form of hats, Hawaiian necklaces and sunglasses will be handed out for this purpose. The "proof photo" resulting from this action also demonstrates that the Oranienstadt Dillenburg can celebrate King's Day in the same way as our Dutch neighbors. Anyone who wants to is welcome to come along dressed in a colorful orange outfit.
Your physical well-being will also be well catered for. Enjoy sweet and savory treats as well as refreshing cold drinks and cocktails on site. Coffee and cake will also be provided by members of the Schlossbergverein Dillenburg e.V. The Förderverein Wildpark Dillenburg-Donsbach e.V. will be represented on site with an activity stand. The administrative staff will also be offering a craft corner for younger guests: Here they can make crowns and create buttons to their heart's content. The team from the KinderKulturZentrum KiKuZ e.V. in Dillenburg will be offering lino printing for children as part of the "King's Day". Lino printing is a relief printing process and is the oldest known printmaking technique in the world. The activity can be found at the city council's craft stand on site. A small bouncy castle area and free face painting for children round off the supporting program on the Schlossberg. Members of the "Life in the 18th century" project group of the Dillenburg Museum Association will also accompany King's Day with gun salutes every hour on the hour between 1.00 and 5.00 pm.
Encampment life: 1620 - With peaks and muskets
Around 200 actors and actresses from all over Europe will also meet on the Dillenburg Schlossberg for a camp life on the King's Day weekend. The event is organized by the Dillenburger Museumsverein e.V.
Musical finale with Seven4Fun
From around 5.30 pm, the terrace of Villa Grün will be transformed into a stage. "Seven4Fun", known from last year's "Aquarena Night", will heat up the audience on site until 9.00 pm and present a colorful selection of songs. Their repertoire is a successful mix of different genres from the funk, rock and pop scene. Their performances of well-known artists such as Simply Red, Stefanie Heinzmann and many more make Seven4Fun a versatile band and a real mood cannon!
Koningsdag (King's Day)
Originally, Prinsessedag was celebrated in Holland on the birthday of Wilhelmina (August 31), who was still a princess at the time. The celebration consisted of games for children and decorated streets. When Wilhelmina was crowned queen, Koninginnedag came into being.
Juliana, Wilhelmina's daughter, celebrated her birthday, and thus Koninginnedag, on April 30th, with a parade at Soestdijk Castle. Beatrix also kept April 30 (her own birthday is in January), but unlike her mother, she visited two municipalities in the country with the whole family. King Willem Alexander continues this tradition, and as his birthday falls on April 27, this has been the official Koningsdag since 2014.
The Dutch royal house bears the name Huis van Oranje. This translates as "orange", which is why it is the national color of Holland. On Koningsdag, it is customary to wear orange clothing, often even wigs or make-up in this bright, garish shade.
Translation: www.deepl.com
Contact and directions
Schlossberg 3
35683 Dillenburg
