Alden Biesen

Once built by the German Order of the Teutonic Knights to serve as the headquarters of a so-called bailiwick, the medi- eval name for a province, Alden Biesen now hosts many festivals, congresses and other cultural events. According to general manager Guy Tilkin, one of the highlights is the International Storytelling Festival: “The festival is the largest in Europe; there is no festival in the world where so many different languages are spoken.” It is indeed quite an impressive list: the stories are told in English, Dutch, German and French, as well as “more exotic languages”, such as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and even Swedish.