Walk for Infinity: Following in the footsteps of Ubbo Emmius

The Walk for Infinity, a special walk from Greetsiel in East Friesland to the city of Groningen, will take place next holiday weekend, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 May 2014. Some 2,500 people from the Netherlands and Germany will take part in the walk, which the University of Groningen initiated as part of its 400th anniversary celebrations. It has been organized by and along the lines of the TodN Northern Walking Trail.

The Walk for Infinity was inspired by the life of the East Frisian scholar Ubbo Emmius (1547-1625), the first Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen. The route starts at his birth place in Greetsiel, East Friesland, and finishes at the Academy Building in Groningen. Emmius wrote a standard work about the history of the Frisian Region and also published individual descriptions of East Friesland and Groningen. The Walk for Infinity takes the walkers along a route following in the footsteps of this local dignitary.

The Walk for Infinity is a voyage of discovery, intended to stir the walkers’ senses as they visit buildings, farms and churches, taste local delicacies, and listen to and experience wonderful music and theatre along the entire route. It is designed to introduce walkers to the local residents, villages, culture and landscape, experiencing the things that Ubbo Emmius encountered four centuries ago.

The entire route covers a total of 80 kilometres and takes two days. Walkers can choose to walk a distance of 40, 25 or 15 kilometres, on one or both days. This makes the event accessible to all: young and old, fit and less fit.

The ‘Walk for Infinity’ project is partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as part of the INTERREG IV A Germany-Netherlands programme. The project is being coordinated by the programme management of the Eems Dollard Region.