King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands were on a four-day visit to the German States of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt from February 7th to the 10th. The purpose of the visit was to deepen trade and investment relations celebrate the states history and social development including the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the Second World War and the reunification of Germany. Earlier this week, the King and Queen hosted the President of Germany in The Hague.
Day 1 -Thuringia
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On day 1, King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima started their visit at Wartburg Castle, marking the 500th anniversary of the publication of Martin Luther’s 95 theses which led to the Reformation. The couple toured the castle, including Luther’s Study, and attended a dinner in the evening, discussing the Reformation and its impact on religion and culture.
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For the arrival and visit to Wartburg Castle on day 1, Queen Maxima wore an orange Claes Iversen pantsuit with a green Gucci blouse and a long Natan coat. In the evening, she wore a black pant suit with a diamond crescent brooch.
Day 2- Thuringia and Saxony
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On day 2, King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima started their day at Alte Synagoge in Erfurt, the oldest building of its kind in Europe, dating back to 1094. Next, the King and Queen visited the site of Buchenwald concentration camp in Leipzig, laying down flowers at a memorial to honour the 280,000 victims of the camps. They also commemorated prisoners from the Netherlands who were subjected to forced labour in Germany. In Weimar the royal couple were given a tour of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library and the Goethe and Schiller Archive. They had lunch in the atrium of the Bücherkubus, a public library, with Minister-President Ramelow. Both the King and Minister-President gave speeches. Afterwards, the King and Queen visited the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, learning about advances in technology. In the evening, King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima attended a trade dinner for the Dutch companies and their German partner companies at the Kongresshalle am Zoo in Leipzig.
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For the day events on day 2, Queen Maxima wore a Natan ensemble with a Fabienne Delvigne hat and a strand of grey pearls, grey pearl earrings and a grey pearl spray brooch. In the evening, she wore a Nina Ricci sequined dress with diamond earrings.
Day 3- Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt
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On the morning of day 3, King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima visited the European Energy Exchange, learning about the construction of a high-voltage grid in Germany. Next, they visited Grünau, one of the largest Plattenbau (pre-fab concrete housing) neighbourhoods in the former German Democratic Republic. The royal couple met with local residents at a community center and later visited a former cotton spinning mill is now home to a startup accelerator, where young entrepreneurs collaborate with cultural institutions. They had lunch at the former town hall of Leipzig, where both Minister-President Tillich of Saxony and the King gave speeches. The King and Queen attended a reception for around 70 Dutch and German experts from the ‘green chemistry’ sector and were present for the signing of two partnership agreements. Later, they were given a tour of All Saint’s Church, where Martin Luther displayed his 95 theses. In the evening, King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima attended a dinner at Wittenberg town hall, where the King and Minister-President Haseloff of Saxony-Anhalt gave speeches.
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For the day events on Day 3 in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Queen Maxima wore a Natan silk dress with aquamarine earrings and an aquamarine brooch. For the dinner, she wore a Valentino jumpsuit with a Queen Wilhelmina’s diamond trellis necklace, diamond earrings, and a diamond bracelet.
Day 4- Saxony-Anhalt
Embed from Getty ImagesVierdaags bezoek afgesloten met lunch in Schloss Oranienbaum. Experts wisselen kennis en ervaringen uit over watermanagement #NLbezoekDU pic.twitter.com/6hIZQcQHjW
— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) February 10, 2017
Vierdaags bezoek afgesloten met lunch in Schloss Oranienbaum. Experts wisselen kennis en ervaringen uit over watermanagement #NLbezoekDU pic.twitter.com/6hIZQcQHjW
— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) February 10, 2017On the start of the last day of their visit to Germany, King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima visited the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau, touring the permanent exhibition and learning about the influence of the Dutch ‘De Stijl’ movement on Bauhaus. Later, at the Kornhaus on the river Elbe the royal couple will attended presentations on flood protection and the rivers of the future and saw a simulation of an early-warning flood protection system before touring various stands displaying new technology, including an app designed to predict high water. Their last stop was a short tour of the Schloss Oranienbaum estate, where they learned about a flood-protection strategy devised after the castle was damaged by river Elbe floods in 2002 and 2013. King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima attended their farewell lunch at Schloss Oranienbaum once owned by Henriette Catharina van Anhalt-Dessau, Princess of Orange-Nassau.
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On day 4, Queen Maxima wore a Natan skirt and blouse with a Fabienne Delvigne hat. She wore three brooches by Argentinian jewelry designer Celedoni with her Cartier gold hoop earrings.
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