Festwoche 600 Years Werth

600 Years of Werth Town Rights — A Birthday Story

On April 8, 1426, the Dutch nobleman Johann von Culemborg granted Werth — today a district of Isselburg in the Borken district — town rights. These privileges gave Werth the right to its own parish, its own jurisdiction, and freed the place from payments to the larger neighboring town of Bocholt. As local historian Johann Radstaak suspects, the town rights were likely based on financial considerations. 600 years later, Werth is celebrating this date with an entire jubilee week.

Ceremony and Tree Planting — Already on April 8, 2026

The jubilee year kicked off on April 8/9, 2026, with an official ceremony with tree planting: speeches by Mayor Michael Carbanje, music, the planting of a memorial tree, and the placement of a memorial stone marked the symbolic starting point. However, the main festivities take place in the June week.

Festival Week June 13–20, 2026 — The Program

As Mayor Carbanje has publicly announced, Werth is planning „an extensive program for young and old“. This includes:

• Sporting events — club tournaments, physical activity offerings
• Church services in the historic Werth parish church
• Street festival with market, music, and gastronomy
• Children's activities — play opportunities, hands-on stations
• Low German evening — Lower Rhenish dialect culture
• Cultural evenings — concerts, readings, club contributions
• Parade on June 20 — highlight with clubs, historical reenactments, and guests from Culemborg (NL)
• Closing celebration in the Isselburg town hall — joint conclusion of the festival week

The Dutch Connection — Culemborg

Since the town rights were granted in 1426 by a member of the noble Culemborg family, the Dutch town of Culemborg (province of Gelderland) is expected as guest of honor. A delegation from Culemborg is announced for the opening of the festival week on June 13. The centuries-old connection between the two places is thus maintained both historically and in the present — an interesting example of medieval noble relationships in the German-Dutch border region.

Werth — Historic District of Isselburg

Werth (around 1,200 inhabitants) is today the second-largest district of Isselburg (total approx. 10,000 inhabitants), Borken district, on the westernmost border of North Rhine-Westphalia to the Dutch province of Gelderland. Until the municipal reform in 1975, Werth was an independent town — one of the smallest towns in North Rhine-Westphalia. Characteristic features are the Werth parish church of St. Vitus, the historic townscape with half-timbered buildings, and its location at the transition from the Lower Rhine to Achterhoek/Netherlands.

Isselburg — Town on the Western Edge of NRW

Isselburg is located directly on the Dutch border and consists of the districts of Isselburg (main town), Werth, Anholt (with the famous Anholt moated castle), and Heelden-Vehlingen. The region is characterized by the transition to the Münsterland, the Klever Hügel, and the large Aa-See lake — popular for tourism and water sports. Those visiting the Werth anniversary can combine the day with a walk around Anholt Castle or a day at the Aa-See lake.

Why Visit the Festival Week?

600 years of town rights is an extraordinary anniversary — few places celebrate this age, and even fewer with an entire festival week and international participation. The event is run by volunteers, is very locally focused, and thus authentic — a perfect insight into West Münsterland/Lower Rhine culture on the border with the Netherlands.