In the tiny Luxembourg village of Beringen, there's a monument that looks like a couple of Bs got tangled up in a flag factory. It's not a secret society symbol or a forgotten branding exercise. It's actually a tribute to something far more delightful: a half-century-long friendship between seven European villages that all share some variation of the name "Beringen."
Because apparently, when you find out there are other Beringens out there, the only logical next step is to become international pen pals and then build a monument.
This particular monument, unveiled on July 9, 1989, proudly declares itself the "5x Beringen Monument." (Don't worry about the math, we'll get there.) The villages in question span five countries: Beringen (Belgium), Beringe (the Netherlands), Behringen an der Wipfra, Behringen, and Behringen (Germany — yes, three of them), Beringen (Switzerland), and our host, Beringen (Luxembourg).
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The whole charming saga began in 1956 when the Belgian and Dutch Beringens first discovered each other. Like two long-lost twins, they instantly clicked. By 1959, delegations from all seven villages gathered in Belgium, officially kicking off the wonderfully named "5X Beringen International."
Since 1969, these villages have been holding their own version of the Olympics every three years, full of friendly games and presumably a lot of shared stories about what it's like to live in a place called Beringen. The Luxembourg monument was unveiled during one of these very gatherings, a particularly festive one from July 7 to 9, 1989.
The original plan was for each host village to erect its own monument starting in 1980. Whether the other six ever got around to it remains a bit of a mystery — there are informational panels in some, but solid monuments? Who knows. Regardless, this one in Luxembourg stands as a testament to a surprisingly enduring, delightfully specific friendship that’s connected these communities for over 50 years. Proof that sometimes, all it takes is a shared name to spark something truly special.
