The Dear Landscape project is commissioned by the Three Countries Park Project (3LP/P3P), an initiative of the Euregion Meuse-Rhine. A lot of knowledge on landscape qualities has already been collected by the project group, but the perspective of the inhabitants on their natural surroundings is still missing.

The 3LP/P3P commissioned Dear Hunter to pay attention to the Three Countries Park (the central green heart of the Euregion Meuse-Rhine) and get in touch with its residents. In Dear Landscape, six locations and their surroundings have been mapped through intensive fieldwork. Local issues and insights have been gathered: how do the different municipalities in this Three Countries Park deal with their landscape? How is it opened up? What are the distinctive qualities and how can they be used in a better way for the benefit of its inhabitants and/or its visitors?

Dear Landscape started in 2017 with three stays: in Visé (Wallonia/Belgium), Vaals (The Netherlands) and Heers (Flanders/Belgium). On every location, a local theme is added, of which the hosting community can benefit directly from. In Vaals for instance, an answer has been sought on how to improve the physical connection between the village of Vaals and the adjacent ‘three countries point’. In Visé insights on the difference between Eijsden (a flourishing village) and Lanaye (just at the other side of the river Meuse but in no way comparable to Eijsden regarding liveliness) have be gained. In 2018, the locations Sourbrodt, Kempen-Broek (Belgium) and Walheim (Aachen, Germany) completed the fieldwork. Out of the results, an overall landscape atlas is being compiled, which will be presented in June 2019.

Hunting ground: Euregion Meuse-Rhine
Hunting period: 2017-2019
Commissioned by: Drielandenpark
Partners: Gemeente Vaals, Gemeente Heers, Ville de Visé, Regionaal Landschap Haspengouw en Voeren, Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland, Stadt Aachen & Parc Naturel Hautes-Fagnes Eifel