Eijsden-Margraten (; ( li, Èèsjde-Mergraote) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

situated in the very south of 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 ...

. There it is located in the southeastern part of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of Limburg. This municipality was formed in 2011 from the former municipalities 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 municipalit ...

and Margraten, that both consisted of a number of separately situated villages. As a result, the nowadays Eijsden-Margraten municipality consists of 28 villages and townships, spread out over 15 administrative centres. As of 2011, it has a population of about 25,000. Eijsden-Margraten is one of the most southerly municipalities in the Netherlands, for in its south it is extending up to the most southerly part of the border between the Netherlands and

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 ...

. The

Meuse river 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 ...

, coming from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and Belgium, at Eijsden enters its third and final flowing country, the Netherlands. From here on its name in

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 ...

is "Maas". Running northward to Eijsden-Margraten's west it locally forms the westerly frontier of the last mentioned country with Belgium. A smaller stream, the

Voer The Voer (Dutch, ; french: Fouron) is a small river in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is a right-bank tributary to the river Meuse. It has three (creek-) tributaries of its own: the ''Veurs'', the '' Noor'' and the ''Beek''. The source of the Voe ...

, coming from Belgium, drains into the Meuse river in this municipality, after having passed through a few of its villages.

Population centres

Of them Eijsden, Gronsveld, Mariadorp, Mesch, Oost-Maarland and Rijckholt are former parts of the Eijsden municipality, whereas the others are former parts of the Margraten municipality. Apart from Mesch all former Eijsden villages are situated in the valley of 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 ...

river, whereas Mesch and the former Margraten villages are on a highland called the "Margraten Plateau".

Economy

Main aspects of economical activity in the for a long time agricultural villages of this municipality are: * Fruit growing (apples, pears, prunes, cherries, strawberries). * Grain growing (wheat, barley, corn) * Cattle farming (milk cows, hen's eggs) * Some industry (mainly at Eijsden) * Tourism

Culture

Essential elements of culture in this municipality's villages are: * Music (most places have their own brass-band and church chorus); * Religion (predominantly Roman Catholic); *

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...

(among others several citizen soldieries); *

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

; * Sports, of which especially

bicycle racing Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling ...

and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

are most popular; * Art

Sights

* Castles of Eijsden, Gronsveld, Mheer and Rijckholt * An ancient windmill at Bemelen and five ancient water mills on the Voer river. * Prehistoric flint mines at Rijckholt *The Mergellandroute, a tourist route through South Limburg, passes through several places in this municipality.

Notable people

* César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck (1724-1792) a German ecclesiastic and prince-bishop of Liège 1784 to 1792 * Eugene Dubois (1858 in Eijsden – 1940) a Dutch

paleoanthropologist Paleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as hominization, through the reconstruction of evolutionary kinsh ...

and geologist, discovered Pithecanthropus erectus - "

Java Man Java Man (''Homo erectus erectus'', formerly also ''Anthropopithecus erectus'', ''Pithecanthropus erectus'') is an early human fossil discovered in 1891 and 1892 on the island of Java (Dutch East Indies, now part of Indonesia). Estimated to be b ...

" *

Pierre Lardinois Pierre Joseph Lardinois (13 August 1924 – 16 July 1987) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and agronomist. Lardinois applied at the W ...

(1924 in Noorbeek – 1987) a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman *

Wil Roebroeks Wil Roebroeks (born 5 May 1955) is the professor of Palaeolithic Archaeology at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is widely considered to be the pre-eminent Dutch archaeologist. In 2001 he became a member of the influential Royal Netherland ...

(born 1955 in Sint Geertruidis) professor of Palaeolithic Archaeology at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city o ...

Sport

Fons van Wissen Fons van Wissen (21 March 19337 July 2015) was a Dutch football player. Club career Van Wissen made his senior debut at 15 years of age at local amateur side RKVVMJo Bonfrère (born 1946 in Eijsden) a Dutch football coach and former midfielder with 335 club caps *

Jo Maas Jo Maas ( Eijsden, 6 October 1954) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer. In the 1979 Tour de France, Maas won stage 10 and finished 7th place in the overall classification. Major results ;1978 :Romsée-Stavelot-Romsée :Tour du ...

(born 1954 in Eijsden) a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer

Miscellaneous

*In 2013, like in 2009, the brass-band "Koninklijke Harmonie Sainte Cécile)" from Eijsden was the winner in the World Concert Division of the fouryearly World Music Contest, a competition for professional, amateur and military bands, held in

Kerkrade Kerkrade ( Ripuarian: ; li, Kirkraoj; german: Kerkrade or ''Kirchrath'') is a town and a municipality in the southeast of Limburg; the southernmost province of the Netherlands. It forms part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. Kerkrade is the ...

Gallery

References

External links

*
Official website
* Most informative Wp-article on this subject (NlWp) {{Authority control South Limburg (Netherlands) Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 2011