Schengen is not only the name of a visa but also a town that symbolizes borderless tourism in Europe.
Schengen Village.
Schengen is the name of a treaty that abolishes borders and allows free movement between European member states. People with a Schengen visa are allowed to travel freely within these countries. But Schengen is also a destination, a small village in Luxembourg located on the Moselle River, bordering Germany and France.
It was here in June 1985 that the idea of a borderless Europe was born, the Schengen Agreement - named after the village where the historic signing took place. The first five countries to join the agreement were Belgium, France, West Germany (later Germany), Luxembourg and the Netherlands. To ensure neutrality, the signatories gathered on the MS Princesse Marie-Astrid to write the proposal. The ship was anchored in the middle of the Moselle River.
Schengen Village is a symbolic choice because it is the meeting point of three countries: Luxembourg, France and Germany. "In 1985, you could not imagine that there would be open borders, especially between Germany and France (there have been many wars between the two countries in the past). This is extraordinary," says Martina Kneip, director of the European Schengen Museum.
Before the pandemic, about 50,000 people came to Schengen each year to visit this town of just over 500 people. The main destination for tourists was the Schengen European Museum. In front of the museum is a square with the Column of Nations, representing the countries in the Schengen area. In the rest of the square, the flags of the member countries fluttered in the wind.
Schengen European Museum. Photo:Saarbruecker-zeitung
Inside the museum, visitors are provided with knowledge to understand more about the importance of the Schengen Agreement, its impact and legacy across Europe and the world through the display of artifacts, archive footage. In a glass cabinet against the wall behind the display are 30 hats of customs officers from all over Europe, reminding visitors of the procedures that they had to follow before the agreement when they wanted to travel through each country. Another museum in the village is A Possen, specializing in wine and souvenirs.
Moselle River. Photo: Nguyen Tat Thinh
Visitors can also extend their stay in the village to enjoy a cruise on the Moselle River, hike or cycle in the surrounding hills, and try crémant - the region's famous white sparkling wine - to get a taste of village life.
Schengen Village is 35 km from the center of Luxembourg City. Visitors will pass through forests and farmland and then turn down the Moselle Valley to reach the village. The first weekend of August every year is the Pinot & Friture festival, with locals gathering to sip wine and fry fish caught from the Moselle River. According to Nguyen Tat Thinh, a long-time tour guide living in the Czech Republic and having visited the village, the best time of year is summer and autumn.
Video: Schengen_-_the_village_named_for_the_famous_visa_-_VnExpress_Travel.mp4
There are currently 27 countries participating in the Schengen area: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Croatia. Four other countries, Vatican, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, are not participating in the treaty but are still in this free travel area because they have open borders with other countries in the area.
According to vnexpress.net
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