We all experience the inexorable flow of time. In art and literature, the river is therefore often a metaphor for history and change. But rivers also symbolise cultural encounters and exchange: they were the first transport axes and trade routes long before there were roads. Agriculture, mills, crafts and industry developed along their banks. A river tells the story of how people have connected with their region over the centuries.
The White Ernz therefore became the leitmotif of an exhibition about everyday life in the six communities along its course. Bob Bintz, mayor of Aerenzdallgemeng, wanted to tell the local history of his region in a way that made it tangible for everyone. His appeal to the population: Share everything that has to do with the White Ernz! Found objects, souvenirs, household items, old documents and photos, memories of all kinds! Around 20 lenders have come forward.
Bob Bintz himself has collected many curiosities since his childhood: Several ceramic shards, old pipe bowls, rail nails, a music CD that can still be played, a smartphone case. „My parents never needed to buy me a football. The Felsers kicked enough balls into the water,“ he says and laughs. An unexpected find was made recently when his brother Lex climbed down the riverbank to rescue a stray calf. He discovered a German-made shell casing and the tin bowl of a US soldier labelled „Simon“.
With the narrow-gauge railway through the Ernz valley
The brothers seem to have inherited the treasure-hunting gene from their father, whose collection includes a rusty tanner's knife that he found during earthworks on the family farm. The tool presumably belonged to their ancestor, the tanner Conrad Klein. „This place is the origin of my passion for local history,“ says Bob Bintz.
An old rail of the narrow-gauge railway, the Jhangeli, which his grandfather once reused to build a sack lift, can also be admired in the exhibition today, along with many pictures and drawings documenting how the steam locomotive once travelled between Cruchten and Fels.
The rise and fall of the industry in the White Ernz valley occupy a special place in the exhibition. Georges Ginter, one of the descendants of the Ginter-Ginter textile dynasty in Fels, was an important contemporary witness. Not least for the half-hour documentary film that is shown on a screen in the exhibition. The 80-year-old still raves today about the quality of the „Fielser Schaffgezei“, smocks and trousers made of robust wool, which were mainly worn by steel workers in the south of the country. Another major customer was the Luxembourg state, which had the uniforms for the military, the post office and the railway tailored in Fels. The fabric for the clothing also came from local production.
Georges Ginter can still remember how the river would sometimes glow green, red or blue after the fabric had been dyed. As a young man, he himself worked for a few years in the family business founded in 1874. Back then, the clothing factory also produced the so-called Rodeo Pants - jeans made in Luxembourg. When the Luxembourg market opened up to foreign competition, the company came under pressure until it ceased production in 1985. Today, the Textile Museum in Larochette provides information about the heyday of the textile industry on the White Ernz.
A black stork from the Czech Republic
The 27.6 km long river has fed many people for centuries. The mills lined up like pearls along the banks. But the Weiße Ernz has also brought misfortune, such as the devastating flood in 2016.
As a Natura 2000 protected area, the region is home to many animal species. Even those that don't belong here still like to stop off here: like the black stork that a hunter discovered in a field in Koedange in August 2010. The bird's foot ring revealed that it had come from an eyrie in the Czech Republic.
There are astonishing and amusing things to discover in the exhibition: The story of the local Medernach radio station M103 resembles a cinematic cat-and-mouse game in which an overzealous gendarme was hot on the tail of a group of young radio amateurs at a time when RTL still had the broadcasting monopoly in Luxembourg. This much can be revealed: The media law of 1991 brought a happy ending to the pirate radio station. Under the name R.O.M - Radio Organisation Medernach, and with an official licence, it still has a loyal listenership today and receives the support of the municipality.
Small budget, big impact
Although the exhibition only takes up a few square metres and is designed as a pop-up installation, it is full of lovely details and little surprises. Above all, it shows that cultural offerings do not always have to be expensive. LEADER is supporting „Laanscht eis Aerenz“ as a mini-project with a grant of 4000 euros. However, without the enthusiasm and commitment of Bob Bintz, who even made the exhibition furniture himself, and the active participation of the people who climbed into the attic at home, felt in drawers and boxes to retrieve perhaps long-forgotten memorabilia, this multifaceted and entertaining homage to a river landscape and its inhabitants would not have been possible. A project that shows how LEADER can be the initial spark for projects that bring people together and move the region.
Text: Martine Hemmer (the English translation is AI generated, original text in German). Photos: Caroline Kohl and Martine Hemmer
