A striking object has recently been erected on the Molenplein in Mierlo. ‘I Love Miero’ is written on it. And with this, the small church village of Geldrop places itself in an illustrious list with Valencia, Curaçao, New York, Geneva and Berlin. “Let the busses of tourists come”, grins city centre manager Henri van Vlerken.
The ‘love’ sign is depicted by cherries with stems that form a heart. The image is an idea of butcher Jos van Baars, says Van Vlerken. “He had seen something on holiday and he thought it would be something for us too. We embraced the idea and developed it further. It is a recognisable and photogenic landmark that contributes to the atmosphere and experience in the centre of Mierlo. Residents and tourists can capture their connection with our village in a playful way.”
In fact, it is a bold nod to similar landmarks in world cities such as Berlin and New York. Amsterdam also had a similar statue on the Museumplein for years. The placement came at the time of the expansion of social media. The letters quickly became a tourist attraction for people who wanted to take a selfie with the group of letters in the background. According to Wikipedia, the object was removed there at the end of 2018, because it attracted too many tourists.
Broader vision
The artwork in Mierlo was made possible thanks to a financial contribution from Villagemarketing Geldrop-Mierlo, a club that is trying to put the municipality even more clearly on the map. Robin Boom is a member of this foundation. “The realisation of the ‘I Love Mierlo sign’ ties in with the broader vision of Geldrop-Mierlo. “We are proud of the special mix of urban dynamics and the charm of the countryside that characterises our municipality.”
City manager Van Vlerken acknowledges this, but sees the new landmark primarily as an expression of the pride of the Mierlo residents in their own village. The cherry is the symbol and is also visibly incorporated in ‘I Love Mierlo’. Ultimately, it may also contribute to a uniform appearance of Geldrop-Mierlo as a whole. But for now, it is mainly the identity of Mierlo that comes first.”
Van Vlerken is happy with the many positive reactions he has received about ‘I Love Mierlo’. “Schools and tourists who come here and take pictures. Really beautiful. And they also know immediately where ‘our’ mill is. This was one of the arguments I put forward to get a permit. The mill will now automatically get more attention.”
Brand store
Van Vlerken is also aware that there are also plans for a brand store. Boom says that there is little more to say about it, because it mainly concerns ‘plans’, but the city centre manager of Mierlo does want to say a bit more about it. “We did have an option for a location, but in the meantime that company has changed owners and that location is no longer an option.”
Van Vlerken also admits that there is currently no new location available and no new initiatives are being developed to set up a brand store in Mierlo in the short term. “I actually wanted to combine it with a VVV point. That was at café De Koffer, but the owner withdrew from it. So at the moment tourists can’t really go anywhere anymore.”
A new location could be café-restaurant De Heuvel, according to Van Vlerken, but it is not there yet. “They would like to, but that needs to be communicated within the municipality first. At the moment, however, I do not have the idea that there is any real support for doing ‘something’ with a VVV point. Incidentally, there are racks with brochures about the area in various places in Mierlo.”
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
