Archive Classic Days Schloss Dyck 2012
06/24/2012
G strictly speaking, it is a very personal story, in which memories from childhood play a big role. They are unforgettable images of walks through an enchanted park, through a wild and idyllic world with a castle in the middle. A complex like from a fairy tale, with several outer castles, a large gate and a beautiful inner courtyard.
It got too quiet around Dyck Castle - until the Classic Days came
First mentioned in 1094, it was owned by the Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck family for over 900 years, today the castle is one of the most important monuments in the Rhineland.
The children who romped through the park at the time are long in their prime. But they still cling to 'their' castle, which is now owned by a foundation that has dedicated itself to maintaining the complex with a wide variety of events. Means for maintenance also come from monument authorities, the landscape association and the building minister. Once the palace garden is the scene of a European State Garden Show, but then it gets quiet in the complex.
Too quiet for some volunteer palace fans. You are a classic enthusiast and dream of an automobile festival in the style of a large garden party on the castle grounds. The income should of course benefit the plant and make it known far beyond the country's borders. In spring 2006 they founded the non-profit association Classic Days e. V., and only four months later the first Classic Days take place.
Overwhelming response - 22,000 instead of 5,000 visitors
The response to this idea is overwhelming: Instead of the expected 5,000 visitors, around 22,000 automobile fans come to the castle grounds, and the number is increasing every year. In 2011, the organizers counted almost 40,000 guests who enjoyed the packed paddock, the garden party with jazz, picnic and engine noise along the circuit - it seems as if the classical music scene was just waiting for this highlight, now the largest event in Dyckschen Annual calendar.
Immense effort for more than 300 volunteers
However, this is the same as the number of visitors Effort has grown behind the scenes: More than 300 volunteers work incountless hours of free time to prepare for the next edition of Classic Days. In a tried and tested cooperation between the organizers, the association and the castle foundation are managing the steadily growing festival: the foundation operates the cash registers and guarantees that all income from ticket sales without deductions goes to the preservation, maintenance and restoration of Schloss Dyck, whereas the The association finances the necessary site modifications and the event infrastructure.
Biggest reward for the committed Dyck-Boys: a successful new edition of the Classic Days 2012 as well as the visible progress in the restoration of 'their' castle. Sometimes it is right to indulge in a childhood dream.
