The Autonomous local authority St. Vith (AGR)

1. Who are we?

We are the Autonomous local authority St. Vith (AGR), operating company of the Slate mine & Bluestone museum Recht and the cultural, conference and exhibition centre Triangel in St. Vith.

2. What about our tasks and our responsibilities?

Based on various legal texts, Article 2 of our statutes defines our corporate purpose as follows:

  1. Acquisition and management of real estate/property
  2. Operation of infrastructures
  3. Organisation of public events

We are therefore the point of contact for all questions relating to the administration of our locations and  for holding events and activities of all kinds.

3. Where can you find us?

The Slate mine & Bluestone museum Recht, Zum Schieferstollen 31 in 4780 Recht/St. Vith, is visited by around 11,000 people every year. The visitor mine, which is dedicated to the processing of Rechter slate and its use, but also reveals geological secrets about the formation of our region, can be visited individually or as part of a guided tour. The latter are run by volunteers in German, Dutch, French and English and organised by the NPO Schieferstollen Recht (non-profit organization Schieferstollen Recht), which also takes care of the museum's maintenance.

Our head office is located in the cultural, conference and exhibition centre Triangel, Vennbahnstraße 2 in 4780 St. Vith. This infrastructure, recognised by the German-speaking Community as the "Regional Cultural Centre South", was handed over in 2009 after almost three years of construction. The centre offers space for events and activities of the most diverse cultural and business nature, and around 50.000 visitors from the Belgian-German-Luxembourg border region find their way to the Triangel Centre every year.

4. How do we work? 

The council of the municipality of St. Vith is the general assembly of the Autonomous local authority  (AGR). After every municipal council election, this council determines the composition of the administrative committee of the AGR.


The administrative committee is the highest executive authority of the AGR. In the legislative period of 2018-2024, it is made up of seven representatives who are also members of the municipal council and three representatives who are not members of the municipal council. The tasks of the administrative committee include approving the budgets and the annual financial statements, approving management contracts, determining the staffing plan and the staff regulations and defining the general terms of use for the Triangel Centre. 

  • Members of the administrative committee who are also members of the municipal council: Jana Müsch-Janovcová (chairwoman), René Hoffmann (1st alderman), Herbert Grommes (mayor), Roland Gilson (cultural alderman), Leo Kreins (member of the municipal council), Gisela Maraite (member of the municipal council, Jennifer Otten (member of the municipal council)

  • Members of the administrative committee who are not members of the City Council: René Hartmann, Didier Scheuren, Pascal Gangolf

The Management Committee is responsible, among other things, for the day-to-day management of the Autonomous local authority and the implementation of the resolutions of the administrative committee. It consists of 5 members, at least 3 of whom must be members of the municipal council.

  • Members of the Management Committee: Jana Müsch-Janovcová, Roland Gilson, René Hartmann, René Hoffmann, Leo Kreins