Limburg (Netherlands)

Introduction

Market in Maastricht

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The province of Limburg is located in the South-East of the Netherlands. It shares it's name with the Belgian Province Limburg. These two provences used to be one, but were divided when The Netherlands and Belgium became separate states. During the period of 1830 till 1839 large parts of what now is the Dutch province of Limburg, were in fact Belgian.

The people in Limburg speak a regional language, called Limburgs, which is not just a dialect. This language is also used by a lot of the regional artists and bands. To make it even more complecated this regional language changes from village to village.

Geography

The southern part of Limburg is the the only part of the Netherlands that has actual hills. Here you can also find the highest point of the Netherlands at 321 meters above sea level. This point is the Vaalserberg, but it is also known as the 'Drielandenpunt' (Three countries point) because it is at the point were the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. Until 1919 it was a point were the borders of 4 countries came together, the tiny state of Neutral Moresnet was the fourth country of which borders met at the Vaalserberg. In the North it borders to the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Gelderland

As a blue ribbon the River Meuse (in Dutch: Maas) runs through the province from South to North, making it a major waterway for transport.

Cities

• Maastricht is the capital of the province of Limburg

Other cities are:

• Heerlen
• Sittard
• Roermond
• Weert
• Venlo

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Carnaval

Carnaval is an event that takes place 40 days before Easter, and is held in every city, town and village. Carnaval starts with a festival in Venlo on Saturday, which is broadcast by regional and local TV and radio stations. On a number of stages artists bring their typical carnaval music. (which in general is folkmusic/polka, with lyrics in the local dialect)

The parade is the highlight of these days. Every town, no matter how small, has its own parade. Some parades have a theme, others don't. In some towns there is a farmer's wedding (usually on Monday or Tuesday), which is a fake wedding that takes place, and is just for fun.

During the Carnaval people dress up (like Halloween in the US) and drink a lot. There are parties until early in the morning for a few days straight.

O.L.S.

The O.L.S. is a gathering of marksmen guilds of both Dutch and Flemish Limburg. In the early afternoon there is a big parade through the town that organises the O.L.S. After the parade, there are prices awarded in all kind of categories ranging from the best marching band to the most beautiful Queen (every guild has a King. That's the man who won the marksmen contest of their own guild). The 6 chosen marksmen of every guild compete with each other to be the best marksmen of all guilds present. In 2007 there were 159 competing teams. They need to aim at small cubes mounted on a high beam, and each member of the team needs to shoot off 6 cubes. If they miss one cube the team can't continue. The team that doesn't miss wins the contest. The contest always continues a week later on Saturday, with a select group of contenders, as it gets too dark before there is a winner on the first day.

The O.L.S. is held on the first Sunday of July and is held in the town that won the marksmen contest the previous year.

Pinkpop

In Landgraaf you find the oldest open air pop festival: Pinkpop. It is one of the major music festivals in Western Europe, and always features a line up of modern rock and pop bands.

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Maastricht shares its airport, the Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) with nearby Aachen in Germany. It has many charter flights in summer, but also a good deal of other flights throughout the year. For schedules, destinations and fares, check the Maastrich Aachen Airport website. The north of Limburg is not far from the Eindhoven Airport and Airport Niederrhein in Weeze (Germany)

By Train

Just like the rest of the Netherlands, trains will get you to the bigger cities and towns.

By Car

The main connections between Limburg and the rest of the Netherlands are the A2 motorway, that goes north to Eindhoven and eventually Amsterdam, and the A73. The A73 starts in Nijmegen and connects to the A2 south of Roermond. The A67 runs through the north of the province from west to east linking Eindhoven and Venlo, and continues into Germany where it is renamed to the A40. The border in Venlo marks the start of the German motorway A61 that runs south-east towards Cologne, Koblenz and Frankfurt.

Getting Around

By Train

The train route for Limburg is pretty basic. The trains from the north enter Limburg on the Western side of the River, and go to Venlo. From Venlo you can go to the east into Germany, to the west to Eindhoven or further south towards Roermond. In Roermond, you can once again go to Eindhoven (via Weert), and south to Sittard. In Sittard you need to know if you go to Maastricht or Heerlen, as this is the point where the tracks split up. From Heerlen you can go further to Aachen, and from Maastricht it is possible to go Liege.

By Car

Having a car allows you to get off the main routes, which can be an advantage if you want to see some of the smaller towns. In this part of the Netherlands you have to accept that buses and trains can't take you everywhere.

By Bus

Buses run throughout the entire province, but the number of rides in the weekends can be a cause for problems if you want to visit a small village. Some buses have to be reserved upfront. The bus company might send a taxi or small van, if it is not profitable to send out a bus.

By Boat

If you have your own boat you can visit the cities and towns on the river Meuse. In Maastricht it is possible to take a river cruise, and in the northern part a water taxi links the towns along the Meuse from Belfeld until Bergen (only in summer).

Eat

The specialty of this province is the vlaai. Vlaai is a pastry, with a diameter of maybe 30 centimeters. Vlaai can come in many shapes and tastes. It can be layered with all kinds of fruits (and decorated with whipped cream), it can also be layered with a pudding, which again can be decorated on the top.

Nowadays vlaai can also be bought in other cities in the Netherlands, but nothing beats eating vlaai in Limburg. It is very usual to have vlaai at birthday's, receptions and other celebrations.

Drink

Sleep