The municipality of Raeren is participating this year in the 19th edition of the "Night of Darkness", an event also known as "Nacht der Dunkelheit" in German. As part of this initiative, the outdoor lighting of several municipal buildings will be voluntarily switched off during the night of October 10th to 11th. The buildings involved include the Raeren Castle, the municipal school, the public works depot, and the Saint-Brigida Chapel in Berlotte.
Several local businesses are also joining this action by reducing their own outdoor lighting and raising awareness among their employees about the importance of reducing light pollution. The municipality also invites all citizens to participate by switching off or dimming the lights around their homes.
The main objective of this night is to support the natural rhythm of flora and fauna, protecting nocturnal animals and insects that are heavily impacted by artificial lighting. Disorientation, disruptions in food seeking, reproduction, and animal movement and communication behaviors are all negative effects of night lighting on wildlife. Flying insects, for instance, can exhaust their energy reserves by endlessly circling light sources.
The municipality is also providing a document with recommendations for sensible outdoor lighting planning, useful for both new constructions and for optimizing existing installations. This document is available to citizens submitting a building permit application.
The High Fens-Eifel Nature Park is also offering a special program related to this theme. More information is available on their website: https://botrange.be/de/agenda/nacht-der-dunkelheit-2026/
For further information on combating light pollution, also consult: http://www.ascen.be/no/
Together, let's take a stand against light pollution!
