Dutch King makes official visit to north-west Germany

Dutch King Willem-Alexander began a visit to Münster on Thursday by signing the ancient German city's Golden Book.

The signing of the beautifully bound book is a tradition dating back more than two hundred years, and involves distinguished guests writing their name and a short message as an official record of their visit to the city.   

The king then exchanged views with students at the University of Münster's House of the Netherlands. The institution is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and is home to the university's Centre for Dutch Studies. 

The state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, welcomed the guest and emphasized in his speech the particularly close friendship between the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia, which has existed for decades.

Willem-Alexander will meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for lunch. In the afternoon, both will visit the 1st German-Dutch Corps, a multinational NATO rapid reaction force that is also celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.