Mount Saint Peter (
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: ''Montagne Saint-Pierre'';
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
: ''Sint-Pietersberg''), also referred to as
Caestert
Mount Saint Peter ( French: ''Montagne Saint-Pierre''; Dutch: ''Sint-Pietersberg''), also referred to as Caestert Plateau, is the northern part of a plateau running north to south between the valleys of the river Geer to the west, and the Meuse ...
Plateau, is the northern part of a
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
running north to south between the valleys of the river
Geer
Geer (; wa, Djer) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
On January 1, 2006, Geer had a total population of 2,854. The total area is 23.62 km² which gives a population density of 121 inhabitants per km ...
to the west, and the
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
to the east. The plateau runs from
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, through
Riemst
Riemst (; li, Riems) is a small town and a municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Riemst is in the Flemish speaking area of Belgium.
On January 1, 2018 Riemst had a total population of 16,665. The total area is 57.88 km² which gi ...
in
Belgian Limburg
Limburg ( nl, Limburg, ; li, Limburg or ''Wes-Limburg'' ; french: Limbourg, ) is a province in Belgium. It is the easternmost of the five Dutch-speaking provinces that together form the Region of Flanders, one of the three main political and c ...
almost to the city of
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, thus defining the topography of this border area between
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
,
Wallonia
Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...
and the Netherlands. The name of the hill, as well as the nearby village and church of
Sint Pieter
Sint Pieter (Saint Peter) is a neighbourhood in the city of Maastricht, in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. It is located on the western bank of the river Meuse, in the south of the city, and borders Belgium (both ...
and the fortress of Sint Pieter, refers to
Saint Peter
Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...
, one of the
Twelve Apostles
In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
.
Principal characteristics
The
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
, of which Mount Saint Peter is part, is bounded on the east by the Meuse river (Dutch: ''Maas'') and on the west by the Geer (''Jeker''). Since the 1930s, the
Albert Canal
The Albert Canal (, ) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, which was named for King Albert I of Belgium. The Albert Canal connects Antwerp with Liège, and also the Meuse river with the Scheldt river. It also connects with the Dessel ...
divides the hill in two sections. Near the small
Liège Province
Liège (; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium.
Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Du ...
village of
Lanaye (Dutch: ''Ternaaien''), the canal cuts through the ridge over a length of and deep. The Lanaye locks at the eastern end of the cut permit boats to pass from the upper Meuse and the Albert Canal to the lower Meuse and
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
basin. To the east of these locks the Meuse has altered its course, creating backwaters and old channels.
Mount Saint Peter's
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
composition, its deposits of
flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...
nodules and its geographic position make it a remarkable place. The locale has been mined for flint since
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
times. The
network of mining tunnels extended by the 19th century but was severely shortened in the 20th century by
surface mining
Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...
. These days, Mount Saint Peter is considered an important nature reserve, as well as an area for recreation and tourism.
History
![AlbertkanaalSluisTernaaien3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/AlbertkanaalSluisTernaaien3.jpg)
In the part of Mount Saint Peter that is in the
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
municipality of Riemst, archaeological evidence of an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
has been found. The fortress is one of the strongest contenders for being identified as the fortress
Atuatuca
Atuatuca (or Aduatuca) is the name of two ancient fortified settlements located in the eastern part of modern Belgium, between the Scheldt and Rhine rivers. The oldest one, ''Atuatuca Eboronum'', attested during the Gallic Wars (58–50 BC), was th ...
of the
Eburones
The Eburones (Greek: ) were a Gallic- Germanic tribe dwelling in the northeast of Gaul, in what is now the southern Netherlands, eastern Belgium and the German Rhineland, in the period immediately preceding the Roman conquest of the region. Thou ...
, which played an important role in
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
's
commentaries on his wars in Gaul.
Dendrochronological
Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
evidence was once thought to count against this proposal, but more recent review of the evidence has reinvigorated the idea.
During the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
several castles were built on the hill, of which various ruins remain. The hill was favoured by attackers during the various sieges of Maastricht, most notably by
Louis XIV of France
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Versa ...
in the
Siege of Maastricht (1673)
The siege of Maastricht took place from 15 to 30 June 1673 during the Franco-Dutch War of 1672 to 1678, when a French army captured the Dutch fortress of Maastricht. The city occupied a key strategic position on the Meuse river and its capture ...
. As a result of this, the fortress Sint-Pieter was built on the northern edge.
Around 1765 the skull of a ''
Mosasaurus
''Mosasaurus'' (; "lizard of the Meuse River") is the type genus (defining example) of the mosasaurs, an extinct group of aquatic squamate reptiles. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages o ...
'' was discovered here in a limestone quarry, one of the first recognised
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
s, which was later acquired by the
Teylers Museum
Teylers Museum () is an art, natural history, and science museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. Established in 1778, Teylers Museum was founded as a centre for contemporary art and science. The historic centre of the museum is the neoclassical Oval R ...
in
Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
. A more famous ''Mosasaurus'' fossil was found between 1770 and 1774 but was confiscated by the French in 1794 and is now in the
Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
The French National Museum of Natural History, known in French as the ' (abbreviation MNHN), is the national natural history museum of France and a ' of higher education part of Sorbonne Universities. The main museum, with four galleries, is loc ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Later
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
remains were discovered here as well, belonging to ''
Betasuchus
''Betasuchus'' is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived during the Late Cretaceous Period. ''Betasuchus'' is, besides ''Orthomerus'', the only dinosaur genus named from remains found in the Netherlands and the only non-avian theropod found in ...
'' and ''
Orthomerus
''Orthomerus'' (meaning "straight femur") is a genus of dubious hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Netherlands. It is today an obscure genus, but in the past was conflated with the much better known ''Telmatosaurus''.
Discovery ...
'', as well as
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
s and fossils of smaller creatures of the sea.
From 1930 through 1939 the Albert Canal was constructed, cutting through parts of Mount Saint Peter. The first ships went through in 1940. The hill's strategic location made it the site of
Fort Eben-Emael
Fort Eben-Emael (french: Fort d'Ében-Émael, ) is an inactive Belgian fortress located between Liège and Maastricht, on the Belgian-Dutch border, near the Albert Canal, outside the village of Ében-Émael. It was designed to defend Belgiu ...
(1931–35), a major artillery defence point in the Belgian defences against any invading forces coming from Nazi Germany. At the opening of the war, the entire installation was taken quickly by a relatively small number of German paratroopers.
Image:Interieur, overzicht mergelgrot en rechts een muurtekening - Maastricht - 20534289 - RCE.jpg, Late Medieval graffiti in a quarry
Image:Joris van der Haagen - Gezicht over de Maas op Slavante bij Maastricht.JPG, Painting by Joris van der Haagen
''Surroundings of Arnhem'' Fine Arts of Carcassonne
Joris Abrahamsz. van der Haagen (c. 1615 – The Hague, 23 May 1669 (buried)) was a Dutch Golden Age painter specialized in landscapes.
Biography
It is unclear where Joris van der Haag ...
(17th century)
Image:St Pieter Maastricht 1799.jpg, Limestone quarries in 1799
Image:MosasaurDiscovery.jpg, Discovery of the Mosasaurus
''Mosasaurus'' (; "lizard of the Meuse River") is the type genus (defining example) of the mosasaurs, an extinct group of aquatic squamate reptiles. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages o ...
Geology and mining activities
![SintPietersbergWegLangsGroeve009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/SintPietersbergWegLangsGroeve009.jpg)
At Mount Saint Peter the rivers Geer and Meuse have cut into the limestone plateau known in the east as the
Herve plateau
The (''Land of Herve'') is a 420 km2 natural region of Wallonia, between the rivers Vesdre and Meuse and the borders separating Belgium from the Netherlands and Germany.
The region is named after the ancient town of Herve, which is at its ...
and in the west as
Hesbaye
The Hesbaye ( French, ), or Haspengouw (Dutch and Limburgish, ) is a traditional cultural and geophysical region in eastern Belgium. It is a loamy plateau region which forms a watershed between the Meuse and Scheldt drainage basins. It has be ...
. The succeeding geologic layers include
loess
Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits.
Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...
,
gravel
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
Gravel is classifi ...
, quartz
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
and
chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Chalk ...
y limestone of the
Maastricht Formation
The Maastricht Formation (Dutch: ''Formatie van Maastricht''; abbreviation: MMa), named after the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands, is a geological formation in the Netherlands and Belgium whose strata date back to the Late Cretaceous, within ...
with inclusions of flint. The chalk deposits contain numerous fossils of
sea urchin
Sea urchins () are spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard shells (tests) of ...
s,
clam
Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...
s and
belemnites Belemnites may refer to:
*Belemnitida
Belemnitida (or the belemnite) is an extinct order of squid-like cephalopods that existed from the Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous. Unlike squid, belemnites had an internal skeleton that made up the cone. ...
.
Humans have used the site since the
lower Paleolithic
The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears in ...
period. The area around
Spiennes
Spiennes ( wa, Spiene) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
It was a municipality until the fusion of the Belgian municipalities in 1977.
Heritage
The locality is well ...
is known for its flint mines.
Limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
has been quarried in the area for building stone and fertilizer for many centuries. Several of Maastricht's medieval churches were built from local stone, incorrectly referred to as ''mergel'' (
marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
Marl makes up the lower part o ...
). The quarrying of limestone has created a vast network of subterranean corridors, also incorrectly referred to as ''grotten'' (
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
s). Although vast sections of these "caves" have now disappeared through
surface mining
Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...
, other sections are well-preserved. Guided tours of these limestone quarries, some with ancient inscriptions, drawings and other works of art, constitute one of Maastricht's main tourist attractions.
In modern times limestone from Mount Saint Peter continues to be quarried in surface mines, mainly for
portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the early 19th c ...
production. Abandoned quarries in the Belgian part of the hill are used to dispose of ashes from municipal waste incinerators. A large
quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
and cement factory operated by
ENCI exists since 1921 in the Dutch part of the hill. The quarrying of limestone in a protected nature area was controversial for many years but for economic reasons ENCI was able to extract most of the mount's limestone, creating a vast area of connected quarries. In 2010 it was decided that by 2018 the quarry will close down. Various plans for redevelopment of both the quarry and the factory site have been presented in recent years. Parts of the quarry that were abandoned years ago have been taken over by nature once again.
Ecology
![SintPietersbergPanorama002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/SintPietersbergPanorama002.jpg)
Mount Saint Peter is a
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...
protection area. Because of its limestone soil, the hill is exceptional in its botanical variety. It is the northern limit for a number of species of orchids due to its favorable
microclimate
A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...
.
Some of the orchids found there include: ''
Aceras anthropophorum
''Orchis anthropophora'' (formerly ''Aceras anthropophorum''), the man orchid, is a European species of orchid whose flowers resemble a human figure. The head is formed by the petals and sepals, and the suspended torso and limbs by the lobes of ...
'', ''
Ophrys apifera
''Ophrys apifera'', known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as of a highly selective and highly evolved ...
'', ''
Ophrys insectifera
''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly ...
'', ''
Orchis militaris
''Orchis militaris'', the military orchid, is a species of orchid native to Europe. It is the type species of the genus ''Orchis''.
Description
This plant grows to a height of 20 to 50 cm with a robust stem with rather drawn up oblong ...
'', ''
Orchis purpurea
''Orchis purpurea'', the lady orchid, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the genus ''Orchis'' of the family Orchidaceae.
Description
''Orchis purpurea'' reaches on average of height. The leaves are broad and oblong-lanceolate, forming a ros ...
'' and ''
Platanthera bifolia
''Platanthera bifolia'', commonly known as the lesser butterfly-orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus ''Platanthera'', having certain relations with the genus ''Orchis'', where it was previously included and also with the genus ''Habenari ...
''. An abandoned part of the ENCI quarry has become in recent years the breeding ground of the
Eurasian eagle-owl
The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Palearctic, Eurasia. It is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. It is one of the largest species of owl, ...
, locally known as ''oehoe'' (pronounced: uhu). Mount Saint Peter supports the richest environment for bats in
Benelux
The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: B ...
, as well as the richest environment for
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
s in Benelux.
The Dutch part of the plateau is largely owned by the Dutch society for preservation of nature monuments ''
Natuurmonumenten
Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten in Nederland ( en, Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands), also known as Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, is a Dutch nature conservation organization founded in 1905 by Jacobus Pi ...
''. A sheep herd is used to keep vegetation open in certain areas.
Image:Ophrys apifera flower3.jpg, Orchid ''Ophrys apifera
''Ophrys apifera'', known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as of a highly selective and highly evolved ...
''
Image:Uhu-muc.jpg, Eurasian eagle-owl
Image:SintPietersbergSchaapskudde005.jpg, Sheep flock on the mount
Image:20130504 Maastricht Sint-Pietersberg 09 Road sign.JPG, Sign Natuurmonumenten
Listed buildings
Castles and farmsteads
On the western part of the mount remains of the
motte-and-bailey castle
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...
''De Tombe'' can be detected in the landscape. On the northeastern section, now overlooking the
ENCI quarry as well as the river
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
, is the farmstead ''Lichtenberg'', largely dating from the 18th century but which includes an 11th-century
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
. Further south, in the
Walloon municipality of
Visé
Visé (; nl, Wezet, ; wa, Vizé) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, located on the river Meuse in the province of Liège, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Argenteau, Cheratte, Lanaye, Lixhe, Richelle, ...
, is another ruined castle overlooking the Meuse, ''Caestert'', of which only some of the farm buildings remain. Well-preserved is the 16th-century house ''De Torentjes'' ("The little towers"), at the bottom of the hill in the village of
Sint Pieter
Sint Pieter (Saint Peter) is a neighbourhood in the city of Maastricht, in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. It is located on the western bank of the river Meuse, in the south of the city, and borders Belgium (both ...
.
Image:Hoeve Lichtenberg.jpg, Castle ruins Lichtenberg
Image:Vise-Hoeve Caestert (3).JPG, Remains of Caestert
Image:Maastricht - rijksmonument 27963 - Huis de Torentjes - Lage Kanaaldijk 63 20100515.jpg, House De Torentjes
Image:20130504 Maastricht Sint-Pietersberg Hoeve Zonneberg 01.JPG, Farmstead Zonneberg
Other buildings
The imposing fortress Sint-Pieter on the northern edge of the hill overlooking the city of Maastricht was built in 1702 as part of the defense works of the heavily fortified city of Maastricht. The fortress was recently restored to reflect its original state. The old village of
Sint Pieter
Sint Pieter (Saint Peter) is a neighbourhood in the city of Maastricht, in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. It is located on the western bank of the river Meuse, in the south of the city, and borders Belgium (both ...
was part of the
Prince-Bishopric of Liège
The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial State, Imperial Estate, so the List of ...
until 1794. The medieval church was replaced in the 19th century by the present
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
building by architect Jules Kayser. South of the village remnants of the 17th-century
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
Slavante Monastery can be seen, including a small baroque chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony. Nearby, an elegant pavilion, 'Casino' Slavante, was built in 1846 by a Maastricht military
gentlemen's club. A sinister reminder of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
is the
fortress Eben-Emael, constructed in 1931–35 to protect the Belgian border near the Albert Canal.
Image:Maastricht 2008 Fortress Sint Pieter 02.jpg, Fortress Sint-Pieter
Image:20130504 Maastricht Slavante 04 Sint-Antoniuskapel.JPG, Saint Anthony's Chapel
Image:Maastricht - rijksmonument 506684 - Slavante 1 20100724.jpg, Casino Slavante
Image:Ebenemael 002.jpg, Fortress Eben-Emael
References
External links
Tourist information on website maastrichtunderground.nl(partly in English)
Montagne Saint-Pierre site describing the region
Tourist information on website ''Regionaal Landschap Haspengouw en Voeren''
'Sint-Pietersberg' on website ''Natuurmonumenten''
Information over quarries Mount Saint Peter on website Kevin Amendt{{in lang, nl
Plateaus of Europe
Mountains and hills of the Netherlands
Mountains and hills of Flanders
Mountains and hills of Liège Province
Landforms of Limburg (Belgium)
Hills of South Limburg (Netherlands)
Geography of Maastricht
Visé