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Maastricht

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Template:Nl icon Maastricht
Template:Li icon Mestreech
Municipality
Flag of Template:Nl icon Maastricht Template:Li icon Mestreech
Flag
Coat of arms of Template:Nl icon Maastricht Template:Li icon Mestreech
Coat of arms
Location of Template:Nl icon Maastricht Template:Li icon Mestreech
CountryNetherlands Netherlands
Province Limburg
Area
(2006)
 • Total60.06 km2 (23.19 sq mi)
 • Land56.80 km2 (21.93 sq mi)
 • Water3.26 km2 (1.26 sq mi)
Population
 (1 June, 2007)
 • Total118,378
 • Density1,971/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
 Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

50°51′N 5°41′E / 50.850°N 5.683°E / 50.850; 5.683

Maastricht (Dutch (pronunciationⓘ), Limburgish and city dialect: Mestreech) is a municipality, and capital of the Dutch province of Limburg. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river (Maas in Dutch) in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands between Belgium and Germany. The place-name is derived from its Latin name Trajectum Ad Mosam or Mosae Trajectum (Mosa-crossing), referring to the bridge built by the Romans during the reign of Augustus Caesar.

For years, the city has been arguing with Nijmegen as to which of them is the oldest city in the Netherlands. Nijmegen was the first city with Roman city rights in what is now the Netherlands. Maastricht was the first with Medieval city rights, a system which evolved to the current system and, thanks to the Romans, the first settlement with city allure. Roman sources mention a Celtic settlement (probably inhabited by the Eburones) at the location they used for the bridge. Other sources mention a Celtic settlement at a river crossing near where Wyck, a city district located on the eastern side of the Meuse river, is now located.

History

Map showing location of Maastricht in relation to the Belgian border
Saint Servatius bridge, the oldest bridge of the Netherlands
A main shopping street in Maastricht, decorated with EU flags.
Fortress remains are still kept in a center of the city

Paleolithic remains have been found to the west of Maastricht, between 8000 and 25 000 years old. At least 500 years before the Romans came, Celts lived here, 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.

Maastricht Train Station
Basilica of Saint Servatius

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

Map of the Netherlands in 1843 after Belgian independence and retrocession of Limburg.

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.

21st century

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

Under current mayor Gerd Leers Maastricht has initiated a campain against drugs dealing and trafficcing. In the course of 2008 several of the so-called coffee shops will be relocated from the central area to the periphery. Most of the coffeshops' clients come from nearby Belgium and Northern-France. By relocating the coffeshops the city aims to stem drugs-related crime in the city centre.

Institutions and education

Administrative centre of Maastricht University

Economic aspect

The following private companies are settled, or have sections in Maastricht:

  • ENCI (First Dutch Cement Industry)
  • Hewlett-Packard (previously Indigo)
  • DaimlerChrysler
  • Pie Medical Imaging B.V. (Medical Equipment; world market leader in quantitative analysis software for cardiology and radiology).

Neighbourhoods

One of the Maastricht Streets

Maastricht can be divided into 7 parts consisting of multiple neighborhoods:

  1. Centrum (Centre); Binnenstad, Boschstraatkwartier, Jekerkwartier, Kommelkwartier, Statenkwartier, Sint Maartenspoort, Wyck.
  2. Buitenwijk Noord-Oost (North-Eastern sections); Beatrixhaven, Borgharen, Itteren, Meerssenhoven.
  3. Buitenwijk Oost (Eastern sections); Amby, Heugemerveld, Limmel, Nazareth, Scharn, Wittevrouwenveld, Wyckerpoort.
  4. Buitenwijk Zuid-Oost (South-Eastern sections); De Heeg, Heer, Heugem, Randwyck, Vroendaal.
  5. Buitenwijk Zuid-West (South-Western sections); Biesland, Campagne, Jekerdal, Sint Pieter, Villapark, Wolder.
  6. Buitenwijk West (Western sections); Belfort, Brusselsepoort, Caberg, Daalhof, Dousberg-Hazendans, Malberg, Malpertuis, Mariaberg, Oud-Caberg, Pottenberg.
  7. Buitenwijk Noord-West (North-Western sections); Belvédère, Boschpoort, Bosscherveld, Frontenkwartier, Lanakerveld).

Every neighbourhood has its own number which correspondents to the postal code.

Politics

Council seats
Party seats change from 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 establishement 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 in 2005 and 2006 was the cannabis supply of coffeeshops. Under the gedoogbeleid the sale of cannabis is allowed under certain conditions, but the supply is not, resulting in an impossible situation. The police keep on tracking down plantations, but that just results in more and more plantations being set up, including many in attics of houses in 'ordinary streets', thus bringing small children in contact with illegal activities. Mayor Leers therefore proposed to let the government take over the growing, striking, in his opinion, a blow to the criminal scene. But the Netherlands are bound by international laws and a complication for Maastricht is its proximity to neighbouring countries, making it a major destination for drug tourism.

Sports

  • In football, Maastricht is represented by MVV (Maastrichtse Voetbal Vereniging), currently playing in the Dutch first division (which is actually the second division).
  • Maastricht is home to the Maastricht Wildcats, an American Football League team, member of the AFBN (American Football Bond Nederland). They play in the Dutch 1st division and are rivals with the Amsterdam Crusaders. In 2004, the Wildcats, coached by Mel Crandall, won the 3rd Division Championship and advanced to the 2nd division. Then, in the 2005 season, they won the 2nd division championship and advanced to the Dutch 1st division. They are currently one of the most successful American Football Teams in Europe. Their current player/ head coach is Jon Horton, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers. Many of the current and past players of the Maastricht Wildcats are U.S. Military members, former american high school and collegiate players, now stationed in the neighboring areas.

Transportation

  • By car; Maastricht is served by the A2 and the A79 highways. The city can be reached from Brussels and Cologne (Köln) within 1½ hours and from Amsterdam within 2½ hours. The A2 highway that runs through Maastricht is heavily congested and increasingly causes air pollution in the urban area. Construction plans for building a tunnel in order to improve traffic flow are currently being developed.
  • By train; the Dutch Railways serves both the main station of Maastricht (Maastricht Centraal (CS)) and the station located near the business and university district (Maastricht Randwyck). A third station (Maastricht Balijeweg) is also planned. 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 northern city of Alkmaar connect Maastricht with Eindhoven, Utrecht and Amsterdam, amongst others. Express and commuter trains cover the regional area and an international intercity train connects the city to Liège and Brussels in Belgium. Another railway line to Hasselt, Belgium is no longer in use, although plans exist to restore it.
  • By airplane; Maastricht is served by Maastricht Aachen Airport with scheduled flights to Alicante, Amsterdam, Girona, Milan, Valencia and popular holiday destinations (e.g. Turkey) during the Summer season.
  • By boat; Maastricht has a river port on the Meuse, and is connected with the rest of the Netherlands through the Juliana Canal and the Zuid-Willemsvaart.
  • By bus; In Maastricht various buslines serve the majority of the city and suburbs. The regional bus network stretches to most of parts of Southern-Limburg as well as to Belgium (Hasselt, Tongeren and Liège) and Germany (Aachen)

Visiting Maastricht

Events & Festivals

Museums

The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe basilica (Early construction is Romanesque and later is Gothic).

Sights

  • Bassin, an inner harbour with various restaurants.
  • The Helpoort and the city wall.
  • The Hoge Fronten (also Linie van du Moulin), 17th/18th century bastion.
  • The Kazematten, the tunnels beneath the Hoge Fronten.
  • The recently renovated Markt (Marketsquare) with the city hall.
  • Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe square with the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw basilica.
  • To the south of the city is the hill of St. Pietersberg which has an old fort and a network of caves within. The caves maintain a constant temperature of 10 °C and are a hibernation place for bats. The caves were formed by digging out the Marl that was used to build houses. This led to a very extensive network of caves that were used as hiding places during World War II. Later, the marl was used by ENCI to make cement. In the process a large chunk was removed from one side of the hill. The unused material was used to make a new hill, d'n Observant. In the process of carving out the marl, fossils were found, most notably one of a mosasaur in 1780 (which, contrary to popular belief, was not a dinosaur). The find was so famous it led to naming a 6-million-year epoch after the city: the Maastrichtian.
  • The statue of d'Artagnan in the Aldenhofpark.
  • Various shopping streets e.g. the Stokstraatkwartier, the Grote Staat & Kleine Staat and the recently restored mall Entre Deux.
  • Vrijthof square, with the Vrijthoftheatre (Theater aan het Vrijthof), the Saint Servatius basilica (Sint-Servaasbasiliek) and the Saint Johns church (Sint-Janskerk).

Other

  • MosaeGusto!, a 3.500 m² fine food market.

Native of Maastricht

See also People from Maastricht
  • Gerard Bergholtz (1939); former soccerplayer; 9 time international.
  • Peter Debye (1884-1966), Nobel prize winning chemist
  • André Rieu (1949), musician (violinist)
  • Fred Rompelberg (1945); cyclist; current holder of the Absolute Speed World Record Cycling with 268,831 km/h
  • Maxime Verhagen (1956), politician
  • Ad Wijnands (1959); former cyclist; two time stage winner in Tour de France
  • Boudewijn Zenden (1976), football (soccer) player
  • Benny Neyman (1951-2008), singer.

Sister Cities

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maastricht.

General

Tourism

History

Higher education and research

Resources for expatriates

Other

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