Maastricht, city (1994 pop. 118,102), capital of Limburg prov., SE Netherlands, on the Maas (Meuse) River and on the Albert Canal system. It is an important rail and river transportation point and an industrial center. Manufactures include plastic ware, ceramics, building materials, fabricated metal products, consumer goods, and food processing. The Maas was forded in Roman times; the city derives its name from the Latin Mosae Trajectum [Maas ford]. An episcopal center from 382 to 721, Maastricht has the oldest church in the Netherlands, the Cathedral of St. Servatius, founded in the 6th cent. In 1284 the city came under the dual domination of the dukes of Brabant and the prince-bishop of Liège. The city was a strategic fortress and suffered many sieges. The Spanish under Alessandro Farnese captured it (1579) from the Dutch rebels during the revolt of the Netherlands and massacred a large part of the population. In 1632 the Dutch under Prince Frederick Henry recovered the city. It later fell into French hands during the wars of the 17th and 18th cent., notably in 1673 and 1794. A historic city, Maastricht has many old structures including the Romanesque Church of Our Lady (11th cent.), a 13th-century bridge across the Maas, and the town hall (17th cent.). In 1992, the Treaty of European Union (known as the Maastricht Treaty) was signed following a summit conference there. The treaty was an important step in the continuing integration of the countries of the European Union. The city is a cultural center. The district of Wijk occupies the right bank of the Maas.

Maastricht (Dutch ; Limburgish and city dialect: Mestreech; French: Maestricht or Maëstricht; Spanish: Mastrique) is a municipality and the capital of the Dutch province of Limburg with just under 120,000 inhabitants. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river (Dutch: Maas) in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, near the Belgian and German borders. The city's name is derived from its Latin name, Trajectum ad Mosam or Mosae Trajectum (Mosa-crossing), referring to the bridge over the Meuse river built by the Romans during the reign of Augustus Caesar.

There is some discussion as to whether Maastricht is the oldest city of the Netherlands: although Nijmegen was the first city with Roman city rights in what is now the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Maastricht was the first with Medieval city rights, which evolved to the current system. Thanks to the Romans, Maastricht was also the first settlement with city allure.

Nowadays, Maastricht is widely known as a centre of tradition, history and culture, and popular with tourists for shopping and recreation. Due to Maastricht University, the Maastricht School of Management and parts of Zuyd University (including the Maastricht Conservatory, the Academy of Dramatic Arts and Hotel School), Maastricht also houses many students from home and abroad.

History

Paleolithic remains have been found to the west of Maastricht, between 8000 and 25,000 years old. Celts lived here at least 500 years before the Romans came, at a spot where the river Meuse was shallow and therefore easy to cross. The Romans later built a bridge and a large road to connect the capitals of the Nervians and Tungri, Bavay and Tongeren, with the capital of the Ubians, Cologne.

Saint Servatius was the first bishop of the Netherlands. His tomb, in the crypt at the Basilica of Saint Servatius, is a favoured place of pilgrimage: Pope John Paul II visited it in 1985. The golden gilt shrine containing some of the saint's relics is carried around the town every seven years. The city remained an early Christian bishopric until it lost this position to nearby Liège in the 8th century.

Middle Ages

In the early Middle Ages Maastricht was part of the heartland of the Carolingian Empire. It later developed into a city of dual authority, a condominium, with both the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the Duchy of Brabant holding joint sovereignty over the city. It received city rights in 1204.

The role of the Dukes was occupied by the Dutch States General from 1632 onwards when the city was taken from the Spanish by Frederik Hendrik. The important strategic location of Maastricht in the Dutch Republic resulted in an impressive array of fortifications around the city.

Bulwark of the Netherlands

The most famous Siege of Maastricht occurred here during the month of June, 1673 as part of the Franco-Dutch War, because French battle supply lines were being threatened. During this siege, one of history's most famous military engineers, Vauban, synthesized the methods of attacking strong places, in order to break down the fortifications surrounding Maastricht. His introduction of a systematic approach by parallels resulted in a rapid breaching of the city's fortifications. (This technique, in principle, has remained until the 20th century the standard method of attacking a fortress.)

After the breaching of the fortifications occurred, Louis XIV's troops started to surround the city of Maastricht. Under the leadership of Captain-Lieutenant Charles de Batz de Castelmore, also known as Comte d'Artagnan, the historical basis for Alexandre Dumas' D'Artagnan Romances, the First Company of Mousquetaires du Roi prepared to storm a rampart located in front of one of the city's gates. D'Artagnan was killed by a musket shot on 25 June 1673 during a night attack on the Tongerse Gate (this event was portrayed in Dumas' novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne).

Maastricht surrendered to French troops on 30 June. The French troops occupied the Dutch city from 1673 to 1678. It was subsequently restored to Dutch rule. The French again took the city in 1748 as part of the War of Austrian Succession, and again the city was restored to the Dutch that same year. The French would return once more in 1794, when they annexed the city to what would become the French Empire. Maastricht became the capital of the French département of Meuse-Inférieure.

Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

After the Napoleonic era, Maastricht became a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 and the capital of the newly formed Province of Limburg. When the southern provinces sought independence from the North to form Belgium in 1830, the garrison in Maastricht remained loyal to the Dutch king, though the surrounding countryside came under Belgian control. Arbitration by the Great Powers in 1831 awarded the city and the eastern part of Limburg, despite being geographically and culturally closer to Belgium, to the Netherlands and the rest to Belgium. The North and the South did not initially agree to this and it would not be until the 1839 Treaty of London that this arrangement became permanent.

Because of the resulting eccentric location Maastricht often remained more focused on Belgium and Germany than on the rest of the Netherlands. Due to its proximity to the Walloon industrial basin, Maastricht industrialised earlier than most of the Netherlands. It thus retained a distinct non-Dutch character until the First World War forced the city to look northwards.

20th century

The city did not escape World War II: it was quickly taken by the Germans on May 10 1940, but on September 14 1944, Maastricht was the first Dutch city to be liberated by allied forces.

The latter half of the century saw a decline of the traditional industries and a shift to more services-oriented economy. Maastricht University was founded in 1976. In 1992, the Maastricht treaty was negotiated and signed here, leading to the creation of the European Union and the Euro.

21st century

In recent years, several international conferences were held in Maastricht, like the OSCE-summit in 2003, and several other gatherings during the Dutch chairmanship of the European Union in 2004.

Under current mayor Gerd Leers, Maastricht has launched a campaign against various drug-related problems. The popular and often-praised Leers instigated a controversial plan to move several of the coffee shops - where soft drugs can be purchased in limited quantities - from the center to locations on the outskirts of Maastricht, in a bid to stop (foreign) buyers from entering the city and causing trouble.

However, the plan did not go down well with neighboring municipalities, who fear the problems may simply come their way. As of July 2008, it is uncertain if the so-called 'coffee corner' will indeed be created on the periphery of Maastricht, a determined mayor notwithstanding.

On a more positive note, large parts of the city center were thoroughly refurbished under Mayor Leers, including the area near the railway station, the Market Square, the Entre Deux shopping center and the Maasboulevard. Maastricht looks notably fresher as a result and more large-scale projects are underway, such as the redevelopment of the Sphinx and Belvedère areas.

Institutions and education

• Administration of the Dutch province of Limburg;
• Rijksarchief Limburg - archive of the province of Limburg;
• Maastricht School of Management;
• Maastricht University (Universiteit Maastricht);
• Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Zuyd, also has departments in Sittard and Heerlen.

Economic aspect

Private companies settled in Maastricht include:

• ENCI - First Dutch Cement Industry
• Hewlett-Packard - previously Indigo
• Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center Maastricht N.V. - customer contact center for Europe
• Pie Medical Imaging - manufacturer of medical equipment
• Sappi - South African pulp and paper company
• Vodafone - voice and data services for mobile phones
• CardioTek - manufacturer of medical equipment for Cardiac electrophysiology procedures
• EDS - manufacturer of electronic data systems

Neighbourhoods

Maastricht consists of over 40 neighbourhoods. These are in alphabetical order:

• Amby
• Beatrixhaven, Belfeld, Belvedère, Biesland, Binnenstad (the city centre), Borgharen, Boschpoort, Boschstraatkwartier, Bosscherveld, Brusselsepoort
• Caberg, Campagne, Céramique
• Daalhof, De Heeg
• Eyldergaard
• Hazendans, Heer, Heugem, Heugemerveld
• Itteren
• Jekerdal, Jekerkwartier
• Kommelkwartier
• Limmel
• Malberg, Malpertuis, Mariaberg
• Nazareth
• Oud-Caberg
• Pottenberg
• Randwyck
• Scharn, Sint Maartenspoort, Sint Pieter, Statenkwartier
• Villapark
• Vroendaal
• Wittevrouwenveld, Wolder, Wyck, Wyckerpoort

Neighbourhoods have a number which corresponds to the postal code.

Amby, Borgharen, Heer, Itteren, Limmel, Oud-Caberg, Scharn, Sint Pieter and Wolder all used to be separate municipalities or villages until they were annexed by Maastricht.

Politics

Election results of 2006: council seats

Party	Seats	Compared to 2002
PvdA	13	+5
CDA	7	-4
GroenLinks	5	0
VVD	3(4)	-1
SP	3	+1
Senioren	3	0
D66	2	0
Stadsbelangen	2	-1
Liberalen Maastricht	1	0
Total	39	–

The mayor of Maastricht is the Christian Democrat Gerd Leers. His party, the CDA, became the largest party in the city council after the 2002 municipal elections, when they made up the coalition together with PvdA, VVD and GroenLinks.

The 2006 municipal elections saw a political landslide from right to left all over the Netherlands, and Maastricht was no exception. The present coalition still kept its majority, but the shift to the left made Maastricht one of the 39 Dutch municipalities in which an all-left-wing coalition of PvdA, GroenLinks and SP has become possible. Another factor that contributed to this situation in Maastricht, was the 2005 enduring disagreement within the VVD between the traditional and progressive members. September 2006, this lead to the establishment of the Liberalen Maastricht. Previously the VVD forced one of its members to leave the party, just a month after the 2006 municipal elections.

One issue that brought Maastricht in the news circa 2005-2006, was the supply of cannabis to coffeeshops. Under the so-called gedoogbeleid, the sale of cannabis is allowed  under certain conditions, but the supply is not. This results in a paradox and obvious illegal activities including private plantations. Mayor Leers therefore proposed to let the government take over the growing of cannabis. However, the Netherlands are bound by international laws and a complication for Maastricht is its proximity to Belgium and Germany, making drug tourism a much-discussed problem.

Sports

• In football, Maastricht is represented by MVV (Maastrichtse Voetbal Vereniging), currently playing in the Dutch first division - which is actually the second for the top-level division is known as Eredivisie or Honorary division. MVV plays in the Geusselt stadium near the A2 motorway.
• Maastricht is also home to the Maastricht Wildcats, an American Football League team and member of the AFBN (American Football Bond Nederland).
• Maastricht has been the traditional starting place of the annual Amstel Gold Race - the only Dutch cycling classic - since 1998. From 1991 to 2002, the race also finished in Maastricht, but since then the finale takes places on the Cauberg in Valkenburg.

Transportation

By car

Maastricht is mainly served by the A2 and the A79 motorways. The city can be reached from Brussels (Bruxelles) and Cologne (Köln) within approximately 1 hour and from Amsterdam within some 2.5 hours.

The A2 motorway that runs through Maastricht is heavily congested and increasingly causes air pollution in the urban area.^[?] A large tunnel currently being planned should solve these problems by 2016.

Due to the high number of visitors, parking in the city centre forms a major problem during weekends and bank holidays despite several large underground car parks. Parking fees are therefore deliberately kept high in order to incite visitors to use public transport or 'park & ride' facilities further away from the centre.

By train

the Dutch Railways serves both the main station of Maastricht and a station located near the business and university district (Maastricht Randwyck). A railway branch passes through Maastricht that runs south to Liège, Belgium and north into the rest of The Netherlands, where it has a branch to Heerlen.

Intercity trains to the city of Alkmaar or Schagen in North-Holland connect Maastricht directly with Eindhoven, Den Bosch, Utrecht, Amsterdam, and several other cities. Commuter trains furthermore cover the regional area, and an international intercity train connects Maastricht with Liège and Brussels in Belgium.

A tramway linking the Belgium city of Hasselt with Maastricht is expected to be opened by 2012. The exact route of the line through the city centre is currently being decided.

By airplane

Maastricht is served by nearby Maastricht Aachen Airport - often known as Beek locally - with scheduled flights to Alicante, Girona, Valencia and popular holiday destinations (e.g. Turkey) during the summer season. The airport is located about 10 kilometres north of Maastricht.

By boat

Maastricht has a river port on the Meuse river, and is connected with Belgium and the rest of the Netherlands through the Juliana Canal and the Zuid-Willemsvaart.

By bus

Various buslines serve the vast majority of the city and its suburbs. The regional bus network furthermore stretches to most of parts of Southern-Limburg as well as to Hasselt, Tongeren and Liège in Belgium, and Aachen in Germany.

Culture & tourism

Events & Festivals in Maastricht

• Carnival (Dutch: Carnaval, Limburgish: Vastelaovend) - a traditional three-day festival in the southern part of the Netherlands.
• November 11 - the official start of the carnival season.
• KunstTour - an annual art festival.
• Amstel Gold Race - an annual large interntional cycling race that starts in Maastricht
• TEFAF - The European Fine Art Fair is the world's leading art and antiques fair.
• Preuvenemint - a large culinary event held on the Vrijthof square every August.
• Winterland - a winter-themed fun fair and Christmas market held on the Vrijthof square every winter from December to January.
• Inkom - the traditional opening of the academic year and introduction for new students of Maastricht University.
• Maastrichts Mooiste - an annual running and walking event.
• Jazz Maastricht - a jazz festival formerly known as Jeker Jazz.
• Jumping Indoor Maastricht - an international concours hippique.
• Vrijthofconcerts of André Rieu - the famous violin player André Rieu traditionally gives a series of concerts on the Vrijthof square every summer.

The Maastricht Exposition and Congress Centre or MECC furthermore hosts many events of all kinds throughout the year.

Musea in Maastricht

• Bonnefanten Museum - the foremost museum for old masters and contemporary fine art in the province of Limburg.
• Natuurhistorisch Museum - exhibits collections relating to geology, paleontology and the flora and fauna of Limburg.
• Spanish Government Museum - features several period rooms with 17th and 18th-century furnishings, silverwork, porcelain, pottery, glassware and so forth, and a collection of 17th and 18th-century Dutch paintings.
• Derlon Hotel Museum - a museum with Roman remains, uniquely preserved in the basement underneath a hotel.

Sights of Maastricht

Maastricht is known for its many sights, picturesque squares, romantic streets, and historical buildings. The main ones include:

• Vestigingswerken - the city fortifications, which include:
• Helpoort - a colossal 13th-century town gate.
• Stadsmuur - the medieval city wall.
• Hoge Fronten or Linie van du Moulin - a 17th-18th century bastion.
• Kazematten - an underground network of tunnels beneath the Hoge Fronten. Guided tours are available.

• Markt - the Market Square was completely refurbished in 2006-2007 and includes:
• Stadhuis - the 17th-century city hall.
• Mosae Forum - a new shopping centre.
• MosaeGusto! - a 3,500 m² fine food market underneath Mosae Forum.
• Citroën miniature cars - the four-storey Mosae Forum underground parking garage houses the world's largest exposition of Citroën miniature cars. Thousands are on permanent display.

• Entre Deux - a recently rebuilt shopping centre which has won several awards. It includes a book store located inside a former church, which British newspaper The Guardian named the world's most beautiful bookshop in 2008.
• Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Plein - a picturesque square which includes:
• Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Basilica - an 11th-century Basilica Minor.
• Derlon Hotel Museum - a museum with Roman remains, uniquely preserved underneath a hotel.

• Binnenstad - the city centre and main shopping district, including the Stokstraatkwartier, the Maastrichter Brugstraat, the Grote and Kleine Staat, and the Wolfstraat. Maastricht is also known for its abundance of cafés, pubs and restaurants.
• Vrijthof - the best-known square of the city, which includes:
• Theater aan het Vrijthof - the city's theatre.
• Sint Servaas Basiliek - Saint Servatius basilica.
• Sint Janskerk - the tall Saint Johns church with distinctive redish tint.

• Sint Pietersberg - an elongated hill peaking at 171 metres above sea level, which includes:
• Fort Sint Pieter - an 18th-century fortress fully restored in 2006-2008.
• De Grotten - a vast network of tunnels resulting from the excavation of marl. Guided tours are available.
• Ruine Lichtenberg - a farmstead with panoramic tower.
• D'n Observant - an artificial hilltop atop the Sint Pietersberg.

• Bassin - an old and completely restored inner harbour with restaurants and cafés.
• Parks - there are various parks in Maastricht, including:
• Stadspark - the main public park
• Monsigneur Nolenspark - a prolongation of the Stadspark.
• Aldenhofpark - with a statue of d'Artagnan.
• Charles Eykpark - near the public library on the eastern-bank of the Meuse river
• Griendpark - with a 2008-constructed inline-skating and skateboarding course.

The tourist information office or VVV is located in the so-called Dinghuis - a 15th-century monumental building on the corner of the Grote Staat and Kleine Staat, two of the main shopping streets in Maastricht.

Natives of Maastricht

See also People from Maastricht

• Jan Pieter Minckeleers (1748-1824) - scientist and inventor of coal gas lighting.
• Peter Debye (1884-1966) - Nobel prize winning chemist.
• André Rieu (1949) - violinist.
• Fred Rompelberg (1945) - cyclist and current holder of the World Speed Record Cycling.
• Maxime Verhagen (1956) - politician.
• Bram Moszkowicz (1960) - prominent Dutch lawyer.
• Boudewijn Zenden (1976) - football player.
• Pieter van den Hoogenband (1978) - swimmer and triple Olympic champion.
• Gerard Bergholtz (1939) - football player for MVV and the Netherlands
• Ad Wijnands (1959) - cyclist, Tour de France stage winner
• Benny Neyman (1951-2008) - singer.

Sister Cities

• Liège, Belgium
• Koblenz, Germany
• Rama, Nicaragua

See also

• Jewish Maastricht

Impressions

References

External links

General

• City of Maastricht, official site (Dutch)
• City of Maastricht, official site (English)
• Wikimaas Wiki on Maastricht
• Destadmaastricht.com All you want to know about Maastricht, esp. current projects like Entre-Deux and Mosae Forum
• Famous inhabitants of Maastricht

Tourism

• Tourist Board, Dutch, English, French or German
• MaastrichtNet, Agenda for Maastricht with English Section Highlights of the Week
• Maastricht360.nl, 360° view of Maastricht
• FoToL.nl, pictures of Maastricht
• Bonnefanten Museum
• Maastricht Underground

History

• Zicht op Maastricht (Looking at Maastricht)
• Maastricht in Roman times
• Churches of Maastricht
• News Reports of Musketeer Skeletons found
• Webpage about the fortifications
• Webpage about the 1632 siege
• Webpage about the 1673 siege
• D’Artagnan’s death at the 1673 siege of Maastricht, an article by H. Reuvers in Crossroads, 19 December 2006
• The history of carnival in Maastricht, an article by H. Reuvers in Crossroads, 31 January 2007

Higher education and research

• Maastricht University
• Maastricht Graduate School of Governance
• Maastricht Economic and social Research and training centre on Innovation and Technology - United Nation University
• Center for European Studies (CES)

• Zuyd University (University of Applied Sciences)
• Academie van Bouwkunst Maastricht (Academy of Architecture)
• Conservatorium Maastricht (Academy of Music)
• Toneelacademie Maastricht (Academy of Dramatic Arts)
• Academie Beeldende Kunsten Maastricht (Academy of Fine Art)

• Maastricht School of Management
• Jan van Eyck Academie

Resources for expatriates

• Crossroads English-language website for expatriates in Maastricht, published by the European Journalism Centre
• International Women's Club South Limburg a non profit international women's organisation with over 200 members in South Limburg
• Maastricht International Playgroup a non-profit organisation comprising expatriate and local parents living in and around Maastricht

Other

• Vastelaoftrap Kickoff of the carnival days
• WebCAM Maastricht Randwijck WebCAM Maastricht Randwijck