Mesch (; li, Misj ) is a village in the
Dutch province of
Limburg. It is located in the municipality of
Eijsden-Margraten, quite near to the Netherlands' the southerly border with
Belgium, on the other side of which the neighbouring village of
Moelingen
Moelingen, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (French name Mouland, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) is a village in the municipality of Voeren, which is part of the province of Limburg in Belgium.
Until ...
is situated. In its northwest, Mesch borders the larger village of
Eijsden
Eijsden (; li, Èèsjde ) is a village situated in the very south of the European country the Netherlands. It is located in the southwestern part of the province of Limburg.
Until 1 January 2011, Eijsden was the main village in a municipality ...
, whereas the city and municipality of
Maastricht lies about 10 km farther to the north. The relatively small
Voer river, which has its source in Belgium, passes through this village among other streams and waterways, before draining into the Meuse river at
Eijsden
Eijsden (; li, Èèsjde ) is a village situated in the very south of the European country the Netherlands. It is located in the southwestern part of the province of Limburg.
Until 1 January 2011, Eijsden was the main village in a municipality ...
. The
Mergellandroute, a route often used by tourists and mapped out by the
ANWB, also passes through Mesch.
History
The history of Mesch goes back to the
9th century CE, when a settlement grew around a church which founded by the canons of
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
. The current church still contains fragments from this earlier building, meaning it is one of the oldest operating churches in the Netherlands. Mesch was categorized as a separate municipality until 1943, when it was merged with
Eijsden
Eijsden (; li, Èèsjde ) is a village situated in the very south of the European country the Netherlands. It is located in the southwestern part of the province of Limburg.
Until 1 January 2011, Eijsden was the main village in a municipality ...
, and is now part of the
Eijsden-Margraten municipality, which was formed in 2011.
On September 12, 1944 it was the first village in The Netherlands that was liberated from German occupation in the
second world war.
Gallery
File:Mesch-Langstraat 3 (2).JPG, A street in Mesch
File:Mesch-Kerkplein 14.JPG, House in Mesch
File:Mesch-Klokkestraat 8 (2).JPG, House in Mesch
File:Mesch-Moerslag-uitzichttoren (1).JPG, Observation tower
References
External links
Historical pictures of Mesch on old postcards
Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands)
Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands)
Eijsden-Margraten
{{LimburgNL-geo-stub