special 'coronation trees' with special 'coronation tree grille' unveiled in Schijndel

May 15, 2013
Ever since the inception of the Dutch Royal family it's been a beautiful and long-standing tradition to plant King lime trees (Tilia europaea) at every coronation. On the occasion of the coronation of our King Willem-Alexander, MTD landschapsarchitecten submitted a proposal to plant 2 King lime trees in the city centre of Schijndel - the ‘Willem-Alexander and Maxima’ - and to design a special tree grille in which the trees are placed side by side. The official unveiling of the two 'coronation trees' designed by MTD landschapsarchitecten, took place near the massive 'glass farmhouse' at the market in Schijndel on 30 April 2013. ANAE Straatmeubilair [street furnishings] was responsible for making the cast iron grille. The special event began with the arrival of the children's bicycle parade, which was followed by a word of welcome to all those present by the mayor, Jetty Eugster. Then the 'coronation trees' were officially unveiled, after which Henk Wittenberg, the poet from Schijndel, recited his specially composed poem. The poem is engraved in the tree grille. The festive unveiling ended when the children released their balloons with a king's greeting card. Here are the stanzas of the poem.


Koningspaar [door Henk Wittenberg]

Twee zilverlinden naast elkaar,
alsof zij ooit elkander zochten,
met takken tot één kroon gevlochten,
gelijk een koningspaar.

De mooiste kroon,
die men kan wensen,
krijgt zijn allerhoogste waarde,
diep geworteld in de aarde te midden van de mensen.

 
Royal Pair [by Henk Wittenberg]

Two silver limes side by side,
as if they once sought each other fair,
with interwoven branches wide,
just like a royal pair.

The most beautiful crown,
that one can desire,
is given the highest gratitude,
deeply rooted in the earth amongst the multitude.

[English translation of above poem by Liz van Gerrevink]