Maldingen, East Belgium, Belgium

Maldingen is located in the eastern part of Belgium near the Luxembourg border and, together with 21 other villages, is part of the municipality of Burg Reuland. The village does not have its own financial budget, which is why the commitment of the approximately 360 residents plays an important role.

The location of the village brings with it a special feature: it is on an important regional road and has good transport links that give the population access to services and jobs in the area. At the same time, one faces the great challenge of calming the transit traffic to create a livable village center. An-other challenge is the fight against urban sprawl and the creation of compact new development areas.

Due to its difficult financial situation, the decision was made in Maldingen to implement smaller measures at the beginning of the development process in 2011, which can be realized with the help of the clubs. To this end, great efforts have been made to strengthen the clubs and, subsequently, to strengthen the village community as a whole. One of the first steps was the founding of the Maldingen Village Community Association, which plays an active role in the daily life of the village. A number of other organizations have also been sponsored over the years (parents’ association, football club, bachelor’s club, church choir, rural women’s group, music club, seniors’ club, theater club, etc.), all of which provide recreational activities for all ages in the community while taking an active role in social and cultural life in Maldingen.

The village administration is in close contact with the village groups and the population is actively involved. A good example of this is the Maldingen 2021 future conference, at which the municipality defined development goals together with civil society under the motto “Our village has a future”. As a result of this process, remarkable results were achieved in the village in terms of preserving traditions, improving road safety, strengthening the identity and self-confidence of the population, raising awareness of nature and the environment, and a partnership between the generations.

The good relations between the village administration and the population are not least favored by very good information and communication. For example, the website was renewed, information sheets created and Whatsapp groups set up and used. The heart of all efforts is the strengthening of personal encounters both in everyday life and on special occasions, not least to bring “long-established” and new residents into contact. The result is a distinctly positive, welcoming culture and the rapid integration of newcomers.

An important milestone was the construction of a clubhouse as a multifunctional community space. It is open to everyone and functions as a rehearsal room for the church choir and the music club as well as a dance hall and venue for festivals, concerts, theater performances, sporting events and more. In addition to the clubhouse, the conversion and redesign of vacant buildings created further common spaces for the population, which not only increased the range of leisure and cultural activities, but also the quality of life.

The idea of sustainability plays an important role in village life. The protection of the ecologically valuable Natura 2000 area “Hohes Venn”, the development of environmentally friendly recreational areas and raising awareness for a life in harmony with nature were defined as important goals. A network of signposted cycling and hiking trails was created, successfully encouraging locals to spend their free time in the surrounding nature and positively affecting very gentle tourism. In this context, the area along the old railway line is also interesting, as it was reforested and now forms a distinctive green belt on the outskirts of the village.

The measures taken to improve traffic safety have also proven to be quite successful. Examples include the noticeable calming of the regional road through lane narrowing and speed limits, as well as better marking and lighting of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. Also worth mentioning are the interior and exterior renovations of the church and an active club life, which is impressively documented in the annual event calendar. Even more projects – conceived at the future conference – are already being developed or implemented: the design of the village green, the fruit and wildflower meadow including an insect hotel, the creation of new living space and the improvement of local supply are some stellar examples.

All in all, Maldingen has implemented a number of remarkable projects in relation to its financial possibilities, which is mainly due to the active civil society, a pronounced culture of getting things done and the good cooperation between the village group and the community leadership. The commitment can become a role model for the whole of East Belgium and build new bridges between people. The deliberately promoted commitment of the population and the successful interaction of the various actors can be described as exemplary, especially with regard to the competition motto “Building bridges”, for all of East Belgium and beyond.

Evaluated: 2014 and 2022