Why did we pick Maastricht as one of our stops on the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Road Trip? Well, impressively, Maastricht's has no less than 1,677 national heritage sites, which is the second highest amount for a Dutch town, after Amsterdam. It has also become known, by way of the Maastricht Treaty, as the birthplace of the European Union, European citizenship and the single European currency, the Euro.
Maastricht originated as a Belgic settlement and during antiquity in the Gallic Wars (58 BC to 50 BC) it was conquered by the Romans. By the Middle Ages, it was, part of the heartland of the Carolingian Empire and the town was an important center for trade and manufacturing as it sites on both sides of the Meuse River.
The important strategic location of Maastricht resulted in the construction of an impressive array of fortifications around the city from the 16th through the 19th century and the town was fought over and occupied alternately by the Spanish and Dutch for centuries.
The important strategic location of Maastricht resulted in the construction of an impressive array of fortifications around the city from the 16th through the 19th century and the town was fought over and occupied alternately by the Spanish and Dutch for centuries.
(Above) Archeological Excavations - Onze Lieve Vrouweplein,
Museum Derlon Plankstraat 21 Maastricht
photo by Otter via Wikimedia Commons
Museum Derlon Plankstraat 21 Maastricht
photo by Otter via Wikimedia Commons
(Above) Medieval Maastricht - Drawing by Philippo Bellomonte via Wikimedia
After the rule of Napoleon ended, Maastricht, in 1815, became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and it was made the capital of the newly formed Province of Limburg (you know…home of Limburger Cheese!).
This dramatic history brought fantasies to mind involving lots of historic sites to explore.
This dramatic history brought fantasies to mind involving lots of historic sites to explore.
As with all great plans, nature threw her monkey-wrench into the works and we arrived during a driving rain which soaked the dark historic pavements, dripped off the umbrellas which were losing the battle of protecting what on any other day would have been a festive outdoor seating area. The tall spires of the Basilica across the huge square were dark and gloomy and we feared that our grand exploration plans for Maastricht were to be washed away.
But as often happens with spontaneous travel changes, the fact that we had to narrow our visit to an area nearer our hotel offered up what turned out to be a wonderful one-day experience in the historic center of Maastricht, and to be perfectly honest, I think it saved us from trying to see too much, slowing us down (which we really needed!) and forcing us to savor our afternoon in this ancient city.
Soggy and misty, Maastricht was still beautiful.
Soggy and misty, Maastricht was still beautiful.
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