Bunny

In the 18th century, Herfelingen belonged to the lords of Enghien and Kester and the large landowners of Arenberg and rich farmers lived in Herfelingen. They felt they were lords and masters of the region. But where there is wealth, there is usually poverty. And what did the poor inhabitants of Herfelingen do? They went poaching in the farmers' fields.
The peasants complained to the Duke of Arenberg. And he organized a manhunt for the poachers. It was very violent and dangerous. In the eyes of the poachers, the manhunts were the farmers' fault and the poachers would teach them a lesson. They decided to place a lot of slings a few nights in a row and then of course the loot was big. They stripped off the rabbits' coats, cut off their long ears, tied them together with bunches, and hung them at the gates of the farms. The farmers were not amused by this, but the poaching families had a lot of food during that period.

Thanks to poaching, the famine gradually passed and the people of Herfelingen were nicknamed 'the long-ears of Herfelingen'.

Creator: Nicolas Baeyens - 2010

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