Over 4,500 visitors experienced a unique Roman-Gallic spectacle at the Bliesbruck-Reinheim European Cultural Park: the Vita Romana. This highlight of the cultural park season has been thrilling people from the Moselle department, Saarland and the Palatinate for over 25 years. The Vita Romana undoubtedly knows how to increase its appeal from year to year. A novelty at this year's two-day event: the horse show "The Centurion of Two Worlds": This thrilling show with fights, breathtaking races and strong emotions told the story of a young Gaul who became a Roman centurion and was torn between his oath to Rome and his love for his homeland. The arena behind the Roman baths was also the venue here, where there were also various military manoeuvres by the Gallo-Roman troops present as well as a bird of prey show to marvel at. With the compilation of the sometimes very adventurous programme items, the organisers from the Saarpfalz district and the Moselle department, in cooperation with the newly founded "Vita Futura" association, ensured a concentrated atmosphere of antiquity and a perfectly organised journey into the past. The partners proactively promoted the bilingualism of this event.
The scenery quickly won over Gilbert Schuh, Vice-President of the department, who came in place of Patrick Weiten, President of the Moselle department, and the new District Administrator of the Saarpfalz district, Frank John. During a tour with Alexandra Vincent, head of the excavations on the French side, and the actress Henrietta Teipel through the craftsmen's village and the two Roman and Gallic camps, cultural assets and former ways of life were revealed. The involvement of the troops in the craftsmen's village, the supervision of the hands-on activities on offer there and the involvement of Legio XIIII Gemina were all organised by the German administration.
During the opening ceremony, District Administrator Frank John praised the diverse programme of the Vita Romana. He explicitly referred to the founding of the cross-border association "Vita Futura", which will further develop the European Cultural Park as a unit on both sides. "The design of the park from a single mould" was also the aim of the association, according to Gilbert Schuh. Finally, Frank John and Gilbert Schuh thanked all those who put their heart and soul into the success of the popular festival, which not only represents Franco-German cooperation but also Franco-German friendship, both in front of and behind the scenes.