4Days Marches Nijmegen Medal in Coincard

The 4Days Marches Nijmegen: an amazing piece of tradition in the Netherlands – a unique walking event that everyone should experience once in their lives, as participant or spectator. Every year in July, tens of thousands participants from all over the world put on their walking shoes and get ready for the Walk of the World. The Royal Dutch Mint is present and launches an exclusive Medal in Coincard for the 4Days Marches Nijmegen: this is part of the series “Intangible Heritage of The Netherlands”

The 4Days Marches Nijmegen

Did you know that Nijmegen has been the host city for the 4Days Marches for 100 years? After Arnhem, Utrecht, Amersfoort, Den Bosch and Breda, it was decided that Nijmegen was going to be the fixed starting place. And now, 100 years later, the 4Days Marches are bigger than ever. With 45,000 participants and more than 80 nationalities, this truly has become a Walk of the World. In 100 years, the Nijmegen 4Days Marches has experienced a lot of milestones, like the making of a special 4Days Marches song, the birth of the 4Days Marches celebrations and the arrival of Pink Wednesday in 1984.

The 4Days Marches in Nijmegen stands for solidarity, a good time, perseverance and of course getting the coveted cross at the end of the week. And the parties at the end of each walking day make everything complete: it brings everything and everyone in the city together. 

Design

The Coincard for the 4Days Marches Nijmegen is all about “The Walk of the World”; this line can also be found on the obverse. The colors red, white, blue and orange can be found in the flags around the Medal. The reverse shows a line drawing of two people; the right person holds a gladiolus, the flower is inextricably linked to the 4Days Marches. During the event, the participants receive this flower on the Via Gladiola. The gladiolus also returns on the obverse of the Medal: in the middle, the Waalbrug is shown and on both sides, a gladiolus is depicted. Under the bridge the following words can be found: The Walk of the World. On the reverse, the logo of the Inventory Intangible Heritage of the Netherlands is shown, with below the mintmark and privy mark.

Intangible Heritage The Netherlands

Intangible Heritage consists of cultural expressions that give a feeling of identity and continuity. Other than tangible heritage, intangible heritage is a living form of heritage that changes with time. Intangible heritage in the Netherlands is made visible with the Inventory Intangible Heritage in the Netherlands. The centre for Intangible Heritage in the Netherlands is responsible for the coordination of the Inventory, researches and shares knowledge about intangible heritage in the Netherlands.