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Limburg (, ) is the southernmost of the twelve
provinces of the Netherlands There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands (), representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The most populous provi ...
. It is bordered by
Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
to the north and by
North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to th ...
to its west. Its long eastern boundary forms the
international border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...
with the
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...
of
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhab ...
in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. To the west is the
international border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...
with the similarly named Belgian province of Limburg, part of which is delineated by 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 ...
. The
Vaalserberg The Vaalserberg (, Ripuarian: ) is a hill with a height of above NAP and is the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands, also known as "Dutch Mountains". The Vaalserberg is located in the province of Limburg, at the south-eas ...
is on the extreme southeastern point, marking the
tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...
of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Limburg's main
municipalities 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 ...
are the provincial capital
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 ...
(population 120,837 as of January 2022),
Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
(population 102,176) in the northeast, as well as
Sittard-Geleen Sittard-Geleen (; li, Zittert-Gelaen ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard, Geleen and Born. The combined municipality has approximately 92,518 inhabitants (March 2019 ...
(population 91,760, bordering both Belgium and Germany) and
Heerlen Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg ...
(population 86,874) in the south. More than half of the population, approximately 650,000 people, live in the south of Limburg, which corresponds to roughly one-third of the province's area proper. In South Limburg, most people live in the urban agglomerations of Maastricht, Parkstad and Sittard-Geleen.


Name

Limburg's name derives from the
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
fortified town of the same name, Limbourg-sur-Vesdre, now in the nearby
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 D ...
, immediately south of Limburg. The name of Limbourg-sur-Vesdre was important to the region because it had been the seat of the medieval
Duchy of Limburg The Duchy of Limburg or Limbourg was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire. Much of the area of the duchy is today located within Liège Province of Belgium, with a small portion in the municipality of Voeren, an exclave of the neighbourin ...
. There are several proposals concerning the etymology of Limbourg. The second part, "bourg" or "burg" is common in placenames, and refers to a fortified town. The first part is often suggested to refer to lime or linden trees (species of ''
Tilia ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain and Ireland they ...
''). The historian Jean-Louis Kupper has proposed that its founder
Frederick, Duke of Lower Lorraine Frederick of Luxembourg ( – 18 May 1065) was the ''advocatus'' of Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy from 1033, Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1046, ''advocatus'' of the Abbey of St Truiden from around 1060 or earlier. He was also lord of a large domain b ...
named it after Limburg Abbey in Germany. He favours a derivation from a Germanic word "lint" meaning "dragon".Jean-Louis Kupper (2007) Les origines du duché de Limbourg-sur-Vesdre", ''Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire'' Année 85-3-4 pp. 609-63

/ref> Ironically the area under the direct lordship of the old Duchy did not overlap at all with the modern Belgian and Dutch provinces named after it today, though the medieval Duchy was a high status title in the region. On the other hand, while the Duchy's effective power was limited, the Duchy and what is now South Limburg (referred to as Overmaas) did have a long history of connection under the lordship of the
Dukes of Brabant The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of ...
. During this long period, from 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 ...
until the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, they were sometimes referred to collectively under one name (Overmaas or Limburg). After 1794, it was the French Republic which unified the region, along with Belgian Limburg, and removed all ties to the old feudal society (the ''
ancien regime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Sociét ...
''). The new name, as with all the names of the '' départements'', was based on natural features such as rivers, in this case
Meuse-Inférieure Meuse-Inférieure ( "Lower Meuse"; ; ) was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. It was named after the river Meuse. Its territory corresponded largely with the present- ...
or Neder-Maas ("Lower Meuse"). After the defeat of Napoleon the newly created
United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...
desired a new name for this province. It was decided that the historic connection to the duchy of Limburg was to be restored, albeit only in name.


History

The current province Limburg of the Netherlands only came into existence in 1839, after the finalization of the separation of Belgium from the Netherlands which had begun in 1830. The two Limburgs had been brought together under French revolutionary administration some decades earlier, but they and the surrounding region shared much of their history. For long periods of history however, the region was not united under the same rule. For centuries, the strategic location of the current province, stretching along the Maas river route, made it a much-coveted region among Europe's major powers. Romans,
Carolingians The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...
, Habsburg Spaniards,
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
ns, Habsburg Austrians and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
have all ruled parts of Limburg. The first inhabitants of whom traces have been found were Neanderthals who camped in South Limburg. In
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 part ...
times,
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 sta ...
was mined in underground mines.


Roman era

Julius Caesar conquered the area in 53 BC, and wrote that he had extinguished the name 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 ...
, the inhabitants of most of the area of current Limburg, as a punishment for their revolt under
Ambiorix Ambiorix (Gaulish "king of the surroundings", or "king-protector") ( 54–53 BC) was, together with Cativolcus, prince of the Eburones, leader of a Belgic tribe of north-eastern Gaul (Gallia Belgica), where modern Belgium is located. In the ...
. The north–south route along the Maas was crossed by the Via Belgica, a road crossing South Limburg and connecting the two local capitals of Tongeren and
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
. ''Mosa Trajectum'' (Maastricht) and ''Coriovallum'' (Heerlen) were founded by the Romans upon this route. The area became strongly Romanized. Bishop Servatius introduced Christianity in Roman Maastricht, where he died in 384. Maastricht appears to have taken over from Tongeren for some time as regional capital for the Romanized and Christian population, before the bishopric was re-established in Liège, south of Maastricht.


Medieval era

As Roman authority in the area weakened,
Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
took over from the Romans, but the area came to flourish under their rule, with Cologne continuing to be the most important local capital. The Maas valley, especially the middle and southern part of the current province, formed an important part of the heartland of
Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
Austrasia Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of th ...
. With the rise of the Carolingian dynasty, who were themselves from this region, the Maas valley became more culturally and politically one of the most important regions in Europe. In 714 Susteren Abbey was founded, as far as is known the first proprietary abbey in the current Netherlands. The main benefactor was
Plectrude Plectrude ( la, Plectrudis; german: Plektrud, Plechtrudis) (died 718) was the consort of Pepin of Herstal, the mayor of the palace and duke of the Franks, from about 670. She was the daughter of Hugobert, seneschal of Clovis IV, and Irmin ...
, the consort of
Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Frankish statesman and military leader who de facto ruled Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke and Prince of the ...
.
Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish state ...
was born in nearby
Herstal Herstal (; wa, Hesta), formerly known as Heristal, or Héristal, is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. It lies along the Meuse river. Herstal is included in the "Greater Liège" agglomeration, which ...
.
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...
made Aachen, today a German city which has suburban sprawl stretching into South Limburg, the capital of the
Frankish empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
. After the death of Charlemagne, the Frankish dominions were again split between kings. While the Austrasian lands remained a separate "Middle Kingdom", sometimes now referred to as
Lotharingia Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
, in the treaties of
Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
(843), and
Prüm Prüm () is a town in the Westeifel (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany. Formerly a district capital, today it is the administrative seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Prüm. Geography Prüm lies on the river Prüm (a tri ...
(855), in the 870
Treaty of Meerssen The Treaty of Mersen or Meerssen, concluded on 8 August 870, was a treaty to partition the realm of Lothair II, known as Lotharingia, by his uncles Louis the German of East Francia and Charles the Bald of West Francia, the two surviving sons ...
, signed in South Limburg itself, Lotharingia was divided. 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 ...
became the border between the Western- and Eastern Frankish kingdoms, placing most of the current Dutch province of Limburg on the western boundary of the Eastern Frankish kingdom, with Belgian Limburg in the Western Kingdom. In the
Treaty of Ribemont , Participants = Louis the Younger, Louis III of France, Carloman II , Location = Ribemont , Date = 880 , Result = All of Lotharingia given to East Francia The Treaty of Ribemont in 880 was the last treaty on th ...
of 888, the Eastern Kingdom was granted control of the whole of Lotharingia, including all of the modern Netherlands and Luxembourg, and most of modern Belgium. The region of
Thorn, Netherlands Thorn (; li, Toear or ''Thoear'') is a village in the municipality of Maasgouw, in the Dutch province of Limburg. It lies on the rivers Meuse and Witbeek. It is known as 'the white village' for its white-washed brick houses in the centre of to ...
was drained and about 975 a swamp nearby the
Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman R ...
between
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 ...
and
Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
.
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
Ansfried of Utrecht Saint Ansfried (also Ansfrid, Ansfridus) of Utrecht sometimes called Ansfried the younger (died 3 May 1010 near Leusden) was Count of Huy and the sword-bearer for Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. He became Bishop of Utrecht in 995. He appears to have ...
founded a Benedictine nunnery. This developed from the 12th century into a secular ''stift'' or
convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...
. The principal of the ''stift'' was the
abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...
. She was assisted by a chapter of at most twenty ladies of the highest
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
. During the period of West Frankish control under the Treaty of Meerssen, effective Frankish power in the area of the current Netherlands more or less collapsed. For two or more years a large
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...
army, operating from a place on or near the Meuse called Ascloa (or Hasloa or Haslon), wrought havoc in the neighbourhood. The damage was such that the emperor,
Charles the Fat Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandso ...
was forced to assemble a large multinational army, that in 882 unsuccessfully besieged this island. In the 10th century, the Eastern kingdom consolidated its control of Lotharingia and became the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
. In the first decades of this empire the founding imperial family has close ties to areas in current northern Limburg. The emperor
Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King ...
for instance was born in 980 in Kessel, practically on the current border between Limburg and
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhab ...
, just east from
Gennep Gennep () is a municipality and a city in upper southeastern Netherlands. It lies in the very northern part of the province of Limburg, 18 km south of Nijmegen. Furthermore, it lies on the right bank of the Meuse river, and south of the forest ...
. In 1080 in Genneperhuis, just north of Gennep, Norbert of Gennep was born as a son of the count of Gennep. He was the founder of the order of the
Premonstratensians The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their religious habit, habit), is a religious order of canons regular of th ...
. South Limburg in the early Middle Ages was mainly made up of the lordships of Valkenburg,
Dalhem Dalhem (; wa, Dålem) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2012 Dalhem had a total population of 6,996. The total area is 36.06 km² which gives a population density of 180 inhabitants pe ...
, and Herzogenrath. All of these lands were, however, united with the Duchy of Limburg, under the rule of the
Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg ...
, when they were known collectively as the Lands of Overmaas. The Duchy of Limburg and its dependencies first came under Brabantian control in 1288, as a result of the
Battle of Worringen The Battle of Worringen was fought on 5 June 1288 near the town of Worringen (also spelled Woeringen), which is now the northernmost borough of Cologne. It was the decisive battle of the War of the Limburg Succession, fought for the possession ...
, then in the 15th century under the
Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; la, Ducatus Burgundiae; french: Duché de Bourgogne, ) emerged in the 9th century as one of the successors of the ancient Kingdom of the Burgundians, which after its conquest in 532 had formed a constituent part of the ...
. By 1473, the Lands of Overmaas and the Duchy of Limburg formed one unified delegation to the States General of the
Burgundian Netherlands In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands (french: Pays-Bas bourguignons, nl, Bourgondische Nederlanden, lb, Burgundeschen Nidderlanden, wa, Bas Payis borguignons) or the Burgundian Age is the period between 1384 and ...
. Both the terms Overmaas and Limburg came to be used loosely to refer to this sparsely populated province of the so-called
Seventeen Provinces The Seventeen Provinces were the Imperial states of the Habsburg Netherlands in the 16th century. They roughly covered the Low Countries, i.e., what is now the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and most of the French departments of Nord (Fre ...
. Maastricht was never part of this polity: as a
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
, sovereignty over this city was held jointly by the
Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as its prince ...
and the
Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg ...
. Also, the central and northern part of present-day Limburg belonged to different political entities, notably the
Duchy of Jülich The Duchy of Jülich (german: Herzogtum Jülich; nl, Hertogdom Gulik; french: Duché de Juliers) comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay west of the Rhine river and was bordered by th ...
and the
Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...
. By the late Middle Ages most of the present day territory of Limburg had been partitioned to the Duchy of Brabant, the Duchy of Gelderland, the Duchy of Jülich, the Prince-Bishopric of Liège or the
Electorate of Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (german: Kurfürstentum Köln), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (german: Kurköln, links=no), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th centur ...
. These dukes, prince-bihops and
prince-electors The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...
were nominal subordinates of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but in practice acted as independent sovereigns who were often at war with each other. These conflicts were often fought in and over Limburg, contributing to its fragmentation and a loss of economic importance. Limburg was the scene of many bloody battles during the
Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Re ...
(1568–1648), in which the
Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
threw off Habsburg Spanish rule. At the Battle of Mookerheyde (14 April 1574), two brothers of Prince William of Orange-Nassau and thousands of " Dutch" mercenaries lost their lives. Most Limburgians fought on the Spanish side, being
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
s and being opposed to the
Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
ers.


Early modern era

In the early modern era, Limburg was largely divided between
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
(and its successor,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
),
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
, the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and many independent small
fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...
s. In 1673,
Louis XIV , 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 Ve ...
personally commanded the siege of
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 ...
by French troops. During the siege, one of his brigadiers, Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan, perished. He subsequently became known as a major character in ''
The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...
'' by
Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...
(1802–1870).


19th century

The modern boundaries of Dutch Limburg, along with its neighbour, Belgian Limburg, were basically set during the period after the
French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, which erased much of the "
ancien regime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Sociét ...
" of Europe, with all its old boundaries and titles. These two provinces were part of a new French
département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...
, named (like many départements) after the river running through it, "
Meuse-Inférieure Meuse-Inférieure ( "Lower Meuse"; ; ) was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. It was named after the river Meuse. Its territory corresponded largely with the present- ...
", meaning simply "lower Maas". Following the
Napoleonic Era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislativ ...
, the great powers (the United Kingdom,
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
, the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
, the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
) left the region to the new
United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...
in 1815. A new province was formed which was to receive the name "Maastricht" after its capital. The first king,
William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 108 ...
, who did not want the medieval name to be lost, insisted that it be changed to " Province of Limburg". As such, the name of the new province was derived from the old Duchy of Limburg that had existed until 1795 on the east bank of the Meuse river. When the
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
and French-speaking Belgians split away from the mainly
Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
northern Netherlands in the
Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. ...
of 1830, the Province of Limburg was at first almost entirely under Belgian rule. However, by the 1839 Treaty of London, the province was divided in two, with the eastern part going to the Netherlands and the western part to Belgium, a division that remains today. With the Treaty of London, what is now the Belgian
Province of Luxembourg Luxembourg (french: Luxembourg ; nl, Luxemburg ; german: Luxemburg ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; wa, Lussimbork), also called Belgian Luxembourg, is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the country of Luxembourg to the ea ...
was handed over to Belgium and removed from the
German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire ...
. To appease Prussia, which had also lost access to the Meuse after the
Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
, the Dutch province of Limburg (but not the cities of
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 ...
and
Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
because without them Limburg's population equalled that of the Province of Luxembourg, 150,00

, was joined to the
German Confederation The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire ...
between 5 September 1839 and 23 August 1866 as Duchy of Limburg. On 11 May 1867, the Duchy, which from 1839 on had been ''de jure'' a separate polity in personal union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was reincorporated into the latter with the Treaty of London (1867), 1867 Treaty of London, though the term "Duchy of Limburg" remained in some official use until February 1907. Another idiosyncrasy survives today: the head of the province, referred to as the "King's Commissioner" in other provinces, is addressed as "Governor" in Limburg.


20th century

The
Second World War 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
cost the lives of many civilians in Limburg, and a large number of towns and villages were destroyed by bombings and artillery battles. Various cemeteries, too, bear witness to this dark chapter in Limburg's history. Almost 8,500 American soldiers, who perished during the liberation of the Netherlands, lie buried at the
Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial ( nl, Amerikaanse Begraafplaats Margraten) is a Second World War military war grave cemetery, located in the village of Margraten, east of Maastricht, in the most southern part of the Netherlands. The ...
in
Margraten Margraten (; li, Mergraote) is a village and a former municipality in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. On 1 January 2011 this former municipality merged with a neighbouring one, which resulted in the new Eijsden-Margraten municipality ...
. Other big war cemeteries are to be found at
Overloon Overloon is a village with 3,626 inhabitants on the outskirts of the Peel region, in the former municipality of Boxmeer, North Brabant. Since 2022 it has been part of the new municipality of Land van Cuijk. Located on the outskirts is the Nat ...
( British soldiers) and the Ysselsteyn German war cemetery was constructed in the Municipality of
Venray Venray or Venraij (; li, Venroj) is a municipality and a city in Limburg, the Netherlands. The municipality of Venray consists of 14 towns over an area of , with 43,494 inhabitants as of July 2016. About 30,000 of those inhabitants live in the ...
for the 31,000
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
soldiers who lost their lives. According to the research of Herman van Rens, the residents of Limburg were especially active in hiding local and refugee Jews during the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, to the extent that the Jewish population even increased during the war. Jews in hiding were three times as likely to survive in Limburg as in Amsterdam. In December 1991, the
European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...
(now
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
) held a summit in Maastricht. At that summit, the "Treaty on European Union" or so-called
Maastricht Treaty The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the p ...
was signed by the European Community member states. With that treaty, the European Union came into existence.


Anthem

'' Limburg mijn Vaderland'' (Limburg my Fatherland) is the official
anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
of both Belgian and Dutch Limburg.


Language

Although standard Dutch is the official language and the one most used,
Limburgish Limburgish ( li, Limburgs or ; nl, Limburgs ; german: Limburgisch ; french: Limbourgeois ), also called Limburgan, Limburgian, or Limburgic, is a West Germanic language spoken in the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg and in the neig ...
is currently considered a regional language as described in the a page of the Dutch Government, unfortunately only a Dutch version is available. It has been an official
regional language * A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area. Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...
since 1997 and it receives moderate protection under Chapter 2 of the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) is a European treaty (CETS 148) adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe. However, ...
. The
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
and
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
governments do not recognise it as an official language. Before the 20th century, most newspapers were in French or in German, schools in Maastricht taught French, as the city has historic ties with the Belgian city of Liège. Other parts of the province taught German. Limburgish is spoken by an estimated 1.6 million people in Dutch Limburg,
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 ...
, and Germany. There are many different
dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that ...
s of Limburgish; almost every town and village has its own. A lot of
isogloss An isogloss, also called a heterogloss (see Etymology below), is the geographic boundary of a certain linguistic feature, such as the pronunciation of a vowel, the meaning of a word, or the use of some morphological or syntactic feature. Major ...
es cross through Limburg. No single dialect can fully represent Limburgish as a whole. Dialects in the north, nearby
Venray Venray or Venraij (; li, Venroj) is a municipality and a city in Limburg, the Netherlands. The municipality of Venray consists of 14 towns over an area of , with 43,494 inhabitants as of July 2016. About 30,000 of those inhabitants live in the ...
and
Gennep Gennep () is a municipality and a city in upper southeastern Netherlands. It lies in the very northern part of the province of Limburg, 18 km south of Nijmegen. Furthermore, it lies on the right bank of the Meuse river, and south of the forest ...
, are classified as
South Guelderish South Guelderish ( nl, Zuid-Gelders , german: Südgeldersch, ''Kleverländisch'') refers to the easternmost group of Dutch dialects spoken along the lower Rhine (Dutch Nederrijn and German Niederrhein). In its narrower sense, the term refers s ...
and are closely connected to the dialects in the northeast of Brabant (Land van Cuijk) and the region of
Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
. Dialects in the southeast (near Aachen) are closer to Ripuarian and are sometimes classified as Southeast Limburgish. Dialects in the western part of Limburg, surrounding
Weert Weert (; li, Wieërt ) is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands located in the western part of the province of Limburg. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. Popu ...
, are influenced by the neighbouring dialects of southeast Brabant, which means that the tone is more Brabantic than in the rest of Limburg.


Politics

The provincial council (
States-Provincial The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and ha ...
- ''Provinciale Staten'') has 47 seats, and is headed by a King's Commissioner (''Commissaris van de Koning'') who unofficially is called the
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
. While the provincial council is elected by the inhabitants, the King's Commissioner is appointed by the King and the cabinet of the Netherlands. Since December 2021
Emile Roemer Emile Gerardus Maria Roemer (born 24 August 1962) is a Dutch politician serving as King's Commissioner of Limburg since December 2021. A member of the Socialist Party (SP), he was its leader and parliamentary leader in the House of Represent ...
( SP) has been holding the office of 'Governor'. Since the 2011 elections the
Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutiona ...
(CDA) was the largest party in the council, although the
Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( nl, Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) is a nationalist, right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man faction in the House of Representatives, it won nine ...
(PVV) won the most votes during the election. However, two members of the PVV left the party, taking their seats with them, which lost the PVV their number one status. Since the 2015 elections the CDA (11 seats) has again been the largest party, followed by the PVV (9 seats) and the
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
(SP) (8 seats). The province's daily affairs are taken care of by the Provincial-Executive (''Gedeputeerde Staten''), which are also headed by the King's Commissioner; its members (''gedeputeerden'') can be compared with ministers.


States-Provincial

Results of the elections for the
States-Provincial The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and ha ...
: * See also: States of Limburg'' (more information)


Provincial-Executive

The Provincial-Executive 2015-2019 consists of the following parties: CDA, SP, VVD, D66 and PvdA.


Geography

Limburg is a salient of the Netherlands into Belgium. Compared to the rest of the Netherlands the southern part of Limburg is less flat, slightly undulated. The highest point in the continental Netherlands is the
Vaalserberg The Vaalserberg (, Ripuarian: ) is a hill with a height of above NAP and is the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands, also known as "Dutch Mountains". The Vaalserberg is located in the province of Limburg, at the south-eas ...
(meaning 'mountain' of Vaals) with a height of 322.4 metres (1,058 ft) above NAP, rising approximately 110 metres above the village Vaals, where three countries (
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
) border each other at the so-called " Three-country-point". Limburg's main river is 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 ...
, which passes through the province's entire length from south to north. Limburg's surface is largely formed by deposits from the Meuse, consisting of river clay, fertile loessial soil and large deposits of pebblestone, currently being quarried for the construction industry. In the north of the province, further away from the riverbed, the soil primarily consists of sand and peat. Limburg makes up one region of the
International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...
world region code system, having the code ISO 3166-2:NL-LI.


Municipalities

The province of Limburg has 31 municipalities. *North Limburg COROP group **
Beesel Beesel (; li, Bezel ) is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg in the southeastern Netherlands. Population centres *Beesel * Offenbeek * Reuver Topography ''Topographic map of the municipality of Beesel, June 2015.'' The to ...
**
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
**
Gennep Gennep () is a municipality and a city in upper southeastern Netherlands. It lies in the very northern part of the province of Limburg, 18 km south of Nijmegen. Furthermore, it lies on the right bank of the Meuse river, and south of the forest ...
**
Horst aan de Maas Horst aan de Maas (; li, Haors aan de Maos ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, in the province of Limburg. In 2010 the municipalities Sevenum and part of Meerlo-Wanssum joined the municipality. Population centres America, B ...
**
Mook en Middelaar Mook en Middelaar (; li, Mook en Middelar) is a municipality in the upper southeastern part of the Netherlands, at the northern tip of the province of Limburg and is a part of Stadsregio Arnhem Nijmegen. The municipality is located about 100&nb ...
**
Peel en Maas Peel en Maas (; li, Pieël en Maas) has been a new municipality in the southeastern Netherlands since 1 January 2010. It is situated in the province of Limburg. The municipality is formed by the towns of Panningen, Helden, Kessel, Kessel-Eik, ...
**
Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
**
Venray Venray or Venraij (; li, Venroj) is a municipality and a city in Limburg, the Netherlands. The municipality of Venray consists of 14 towns over an area of , with 43,494 inhabitants as of July 2016. About 30,000 of those inhabitants live in the ...
*Mid Limburg COROP group **
Echt-Susteren Echt-Susteren (; li, Ech-Zöstere ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. Echt-Susteren was created in 2003 by merging the former municipalities of Echt and Susteren. Echt-Susteren is situated in a Euregional area. In the west the mu ...
**
Leudal Leudal (Limburgish: ''Leudaal'') is a municipality in the Dutch province of Limburg. It was formed on January 1, 2007 in a merger of the municipalities of Heythuysen, Haelen, Hunsel, and Roggel en Neer. Population centres The municipality ...
**
Maasgouw Maasgouw () is a municipality in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located on both banks of the river Meuse southwest of the city of Roermond. It was formed in a merger of the former municipalities of Heel, Maasbracht and Thorn on 1 January ...
**
Nederweert Nederweert (; li, Ni-jwieërt ) is a municipality and a town in southeastern Netherlands with a population of as of and has an area of of which is water. Nederweert lies at the intersection of three channels: the Zuid-Willemsvaart, the Noor ...
** Roerdalen **
Roermond Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...
**
Weert Weert (; li, Wieërt ) is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands located in the western part of the province of Limburg. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. Popu ...
* South Limburg COROP group **
Beek Beek (; li, Baek ) is a town and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, in the province of Limburg. As of 2012, Beek has a population of about 16,400, of which about 8,800 live in the town of Beek. The municipality of Beek makes part ...
**
Beekdaelen Beekdaelen (; li, Baekdale ) is a municipality in the province of Limburg, situated in the southern Netherlands. It was formed as a merger of Nuth, Onderbanken and Schinnen. Beekdaelen has 35,853 inhabitants. It does not have a capital. The tow ...
**
Brunssum Brunssum (; li, Broensem) is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The municipality of Brunssum has residents as of . Brunssum was a center of coal mining until 1973. Population centres Topography Histor ...
**
Eijsden-Margraten Eijsden-Margraten (; ( li, Èèsjde-Mergraote) is a municipality situated in the very south of the Netherlands. There it is located in the southeastern part of the province of Limburg. This municipality was formed in 2011 from the former municipa ...
**
Gulpen-Wittem Gulpen-Wittem (; li, Gullepe-Wittem ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands (in the province of Limburg) with inhabitants as of . Gulpen-Wittem came into being after the merger of the municipalities Gulpen and Wittem. This took p ...
**
Heerlen Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg ...
**
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 th ...
**
Landgraaf Landgraaf (; li, Lankgraaf ) is a municipality in southeastern Limburg, Netherlands, forming part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. ''Snow World'' is the largest indoor ski piste in Europe. Population centres *Nieuwenhagen *Schaesberg *Ub ...
**
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 ...
**
Meerssen Meerssen (; li, Meersje ) is a town and a municipality in southeastern Netherlands. History The Treaty of Meerssen was signed in Meerssen in 870. The Treaty of Meerssen was an agreement of the division of the Carolingian Empire by the surviving ...
**
Simpelveld Simpelveld (; li, Zumpelveld ) is a municipality and a town in the southeastern Netherlands. It is part of the municipal cooperative unit Parkstad Limburg. Simpelveld is part of the ''Mergelland'', named after the presence of chalk (mergel), h ...
**
Sittard-Geleen Sittard-Geleen (; li, Zittert-Gelaen ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard, Geleen and Born. The combined municipality has approximately 92,518 inhabitants (March 2019 ...
**
Stein Stein is a German, Yiddish and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and "pip" or "kernel". It stems from the same Germanic root as the English word stone. It may refer to: Places In Austria * Stein, a neighbourhood of Krems an der Donau, Lower Au ...
**
Vaals Vaals (; Ripuarian: ) is a town in the extreme southeastern part of the Dutch province of Limburg, which is in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. The municipality covers an area of in the foothills of the Ardennes–Eifelrange a ...
**
Valkenburg aan de Geul Valkenburg aan de Geul (; li, Valkeberg ) is a municipality situated in the southeastern Dutch province of Limburg. The name refers to the central town in the municipality, Valkenburg, and the small river Geul. History Sieges and conquests ha ...
**
Voerendaal Voerendaal (; li, Voelender) is a municipality and a town in the southeastern Netherlands. Population centres ''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Voerendaal, June 2015'' History The Romans left the ruins from a Roman villa rustic ...


Cities

From North to South:
Gennep Gennep () is a municipality and a city in upper southeastern Netherlands. It lies in the very northern part of the province of Limburg, 18 km south of Nijmegen. Furthermore, it lies on the right bank of the Meuse river, and south of the forest ...
,
Venray Venray or Venraij (; li, Venroj) is a municipality and a city in Limburg, the Netherlands. The municipality of Venray consists of 14 towns over an area of , with 43,494 inhabitants as of July 2016. About 30,000 of those inhabitants live in the ...
,
Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
,
Weert Weert (; li, Wieërt ) is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands located in the western part of the province of Limburg. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. Popu ...
,
Roermond Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...
, Thorn,
Sittard Sittard (; ) is a city in the Netherlands, situated in the southernmost province of Limburg. The town is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen and has almost 37.500 inhabitants in 2016. In its east, Sittard borders the German municipal ...
,
Geleen Geleen (; li, Gelaen ) is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. With 31,670 inhabitants in 2020, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek, a right tributa ...
,
Heerlen Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg ...
, Valkenburg,
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 th ...
,
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 ...
,
Vaals Vaals (; Ripuarian: ) is a town in the extreme southeastern part of the Dutch province of Limburg, which is in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. The municipality covers an area of in the foothills of the Ardennes–Eifelrange a ...
.


Economy

The
Gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
(GDP) of the province was €44.5 billion in 2018, accounting for 5.7% of the Netherlands economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €34,700 or 115% of the EU27 average in the same year. In the past
peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
and
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...
were mined in Limburg. In 1965–75 the coal mines were finally closed. As a result, 60,000 people lost their jobs in the two
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
areas, Heerlen-Kerkrade-Brunssum and Sittard-Geleen. A difficult period of economic readjustment started. The Dutch government partly eased the pain by moving several government offices (including
Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP ("National Civil Pension Fund"), frequently referred to as ABP, is the pension fund for government and education employees in the Netherlands. For the quarter ended 31 December 2014, ABP had 2.8 million participants and ...
and CBS
Statistics Netherlands Statistics Netherlands, founded in 1899, is a Dutch governmental institution that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands. In Dutch it is known as the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (''Central Agency for Statistics''), often ...
) to Heerlen. The state-owned corporation that once mined in Limburg, DSM, is now a major chemical company, still operating in Limburg. In 2002 DSM sold its petrochemical division (naphtha crackers and polyolefin plants) to
SABIC Saudi Basic Industries Corporation ( ar, الشركة السعودية للصناعات الأساسية), known as SABIC ( ar, سابك), is a Saudi chemical manufacturing company. 70% of SABIC's shares are owned by Saudi Aramco. It is active in ...
of Saudi Arabia. In 2010, the agro and melamine business groups were sold to
OCI Nitrogen OCI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * OCI (company), green energy and chemical company, South Korea * Oakwood Collegiate Institute, Toronto, Canada * Office of Criminal Investigations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration * Olympic ...
.
SABIC Saudi Basic Industries Corporation ( ar, الشركة السعودية للصناعات الأساسية), known as SABIC ( ar, سابك), is a Saudi chemical manufacturing company. 70% of SABIC's shares are owned by Saudi Aramco. It is active in ...
is located on the Chemelot campus in
Sittard-Geleen Sittard-Geleen (; li, Zittert-Gelaen ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard, Geleen and Born. The combined municipality has approximately 92,518 inhabitants (March 2019 ...
, which is bounded by the Chemelot Industrial Park, one of Western Europe's biggest industrial sites. At this moment 8000 people work at Chemelot, of which 1000 are active at the Campus. The innovation and licensing division Stamicarbon of DSM was sold in 2009 to Maire Tecnimont, the parent company of an engineering, main contracting and licensing group that operates worldwide in the oil, gas & petrochemicals, power, infrastructure and civil engineering sectors. Stamicarbon is based in Sittard-Geleen.
VDL Nedcar VDL Nedcar is an automotive manufacturing company in Born, Netherlands. Since December 2012 it has been owned by the Dutch industrial conglomerate VDL Groep. Previous owners were Mitsubishi Motors and Volvo Cars. The company had its origins in a ...
in Born (
Sittard-Geleen Sittard-Geleen (; li, Zittert-Gelaen ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard, Geleen and Born. The combined municipality has approximately 92,518 inhabitants (March 2019 ...
) is the only large-scale car manufacturer in the Netherlands, currently manufacturing
MINI The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
s and
BMW X1 The BMW X1 is a line of subcompact luxury crossovers produced by BMW. Debuted in 2009, the first-generation X1 has been based on the E90 3 Series and offers rear-wheel drive layout as standard. At its introduction, it was positioned as the sm ...
s. Other industries include rockwool in Roermond,
Océ Canon Production Printing, formerly known as Océ until the end of 2019, is a Netherlands-based subset of Canon that develops, manufactures and sells printing and copying hardware and related software. The product line includes office printing a ...
copiers and printers manufacturers in
Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
and a paper factory in Maastricht. There are four large
beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cer ...
breweries in Limburg. Southern Limburg has long been one of the country's two main fruit-growing areas, but over the last four decades, many fruit-growing areas have been replaced by water as a result of
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 classif ...
quarrying near 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 ...
. Limburg is one of the most important provinces when it comes to Dutch wine production. South Limburg has the highest concentration of vineyards in the Netherlands. Limburg's wine regions have 3
Appellations An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
: Maasvallei, Mergelland and Vijlen. Voerendaalse bergen is expected to be recognized somewhere in 2021.
Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
is an essential sector of the economy, especially in the hilly southern part of the province. The town of Valkenburg is the main centre. In 2005, the two provincial newspapers, ''De Limburger'' and ''Limburgs Dagblad'', merged.


Culture

Essential elements in Limburgian culture are * Music; * 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 Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...
(in especially the southern part of the province); *
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 ...
; * Sports, of which especially bicycle racing and soccer are most popular; *
Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
(
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
, among others).


Music

Choral singing is popular in Limburg. One of its best-known choruses is the Mastreechter Staar (Maastricht Star), which performs nationally and internationally. Every four years the
World Music Contest In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
, a competition for professional, amateur and military band sometimes called the Olympic Games of brass band music is held in Kerkrade. In 2013 and 2009 the winner in the World Concert Division was the Koninklijke Harmonie Sainte Cécile, from
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 ...
(Limburg). Also held in Kerkrade (situated on the German border) is the Schlagerfestival, a nationally broadcast event presenting singers of German-language pop music called Schlagers. Since 1969 yearly on the Pentecost weekend an international pop music festival called
Pinkpop Festival The Pinkpop Festival is an annual music festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June ...
takes place in the southern part of Limburg; initially at Geleen, since 1988 at
Schaesberg Schaesberg ( li, D'r Sjeet ) is a neighbourhood of Landgraaf and former village in the Dutch province of Limburg. History The village was first mentioned in 16th century as Gaesberg. The etymology is unknown. Schaesberg developed in the 17th ...
. More nationally or internationally known musicians from this province are mentioned hereunder in section "Famous Limburgians". The
Limburg Symphony Orchestra The Limburgs Symfonie Orkest (English: Limburg Symphony Orchestra) was a Dutch orchestra based in Maastricht, Netherlands. The orchestra was resident at the ''Theater aan het Vrijthof'' in Maastricht since 1992, and also performed in opera produ ...
, that resided and rehearsed in Maastricht, and was the oldest symphony orchestra of the Netherlands (founded in 1883) following elimination of government grants merged with '' Het Brabants Orkest'' to form a single ensemble with the new name of the '' philharmonie zuidnederland'', as of April 2013.


Folklore

Many places in both Netherlands' and Belgian Limburg still have their own (by now folkloristic)
schutterij Schutterij () refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces ...
. An annual festival is held in which all 160 of them compete for the highest honours to be gained, in the "OLS" (Oud Limburgs Schuttersfeest), which is held somewhere in either Belgian or Netherlands' Limburg.


Sports


Football

In Limburg there are currently four professional Football clubs;
Roda JC Kerkrade Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisi ...
,
VVV-Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, followin ...
,
MVV Maastricht Maatschappelijke Voetbal Vereniging Maastricht (), commonly known as MVV Maastricht (, ) or simply as MVV, is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Maastricht. Founded on 2 April 1902, MVV Maastricht currently compete in the Eers ...
and
Fortuna Sittard Fortuna Sittard (; li, Fortuna Zitterd ) is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was established through a merger ...
. Fortuna Sittard competes in the highest Dutch division, the Eredivisie. The others compete in the second highest division.


Cycling

The annual bike classic
Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic cycle races, classic road bicycle race, road cycling race held in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the Classic cycle races#S ...
is run in the southern part of Limburg. The area has also staged the
UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...
six times, once hosted by
Heerlen Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg ...
and five times by Valkenburg.


Handball

Team handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...
is the third-most popular sport in Limburg. The women's team, HV Swift Roermond, has won the national championship in the highest division 19 times. The male teams, Sittardia (Sittard), Vlug en Lenig (Geleen) and BFC (
Beek Beek (; li, Baek ) is a town and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, in the province of Limburg. As of 2012, Beek has a population of about 16,400, of which about 8,800 live in the town of Beek. The municipality of Beek makes part ...
), which in 2008 merged as the ''Limburg Lions'', have in total won the national championship 25 times.


Religion


Famous Limburgians

Politics, science, religion *
Louis Beel Louis Joseph Maria Beel (12 April 1902 – 11 February 1977) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) and later co-founder of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) now the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and ...
(1902–1977) - Politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands *
Jo Cals Jozef Maria Laurens Theo "Jo" Cals (18 July 1914 – 30 December 1971) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) now the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherland ...
(1914–1971) - Politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands * Jacob Chimarrhaeus (1542–1614) - Grand almoner * Jan van der Croon (c. 1600–1665) - Military commander *
Eduard Cuypers Eduard Cuypers (18 April 1859 Roermond – 1 June 1927, The Hague) was a Dutch architect. He worked in Amsterdam and the Dutch East Indies. Biography Cuypers was trained in the architectural practice of his uncle Pierre Cuypers, the count ...
(1859–1927) - Architect *
Pierre Cuypers Petrus Josephus Hubertus "Pierre" Cuypers (16 May 1827 – 3 March 1921) was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station (1881–1889) and the Rijksmuseum (1876–1885), both in Amsterdam. ...
(1827–1921) - Architect (designer of a.o. Amsterdam
Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Sted ...
) * Peter 'Pie' Debye (1884–1966) - Physicist, Nobel prize winner *
Hub van Doorne Hubert Jozef ("Hub") van Doorne (1 January 1900 – 23 May 1979) was the founder of Van Doorne's Aanhangwagenfabriek (Trailer factory) and of Van Doorne's Automobielfabriek (vehicle factory) known as DAF, together with his brother Willem (Wim) van ...
(1900–1979) - Founder of DAF *
Eugène Dubois Marie Eugène François Thomas Dubois (; 28 January 1858 – 16 December 1940) was a Dutch paleoanthropologist and geologist. He earned worldwide fame for his discovery of ''Pithecanthropus erectus'' (later redesignated ''Homo erectus''), or "Java ...
(1858–1940) - Anatomist * Camiel Eurlings (1973) - Politician * Saint Gerlach (c. 1100–c. 1170) - Hermit, saint * Gerard III (1185–1229) - Count of Guelders * Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (1973) - Politician and diplomat * Godfrey Henschen (1601–1681) - Hagiographer * Willem van Heythuysen (1590s–1650) - Cloth merchant and
hofje {{inline refs needed, date=May 2012 A hofje (diminutive of 'hof', 'court') is a Dutch word for a courtyard with almshouses around it. Hofjes have existed since the Middle Ages. A hofje provided housing for elderly people (mostly women). ...
founder * Cesar van Hoensbroeck (1724–1792) - Ecclesiastic, Prince-bishop of Liège * Maria van der Hoeven (1949) - Politician * Auguste Kerckhoffs (1835–1903) - Linguist and cryptographer *
Jan Gerard Kerkherdere Jan Gerard Kerkherdere (7 November 1677 – 16 March 1738) was a Dutch Latinist. He was a Latin teacher at the Collegium Trilingue in Leuven, in the Spanish Netherlands (from 1713 known as the Austrian Netherlands). Kerkherdere provoked controversy ...
(1677–1738) - Latinist *
Lambert of Maastricht Lambert of Maastricht, commonly referred to as Saint Lambert ( la, Lambertus; Middle Dutch: ''Sint-Lambrecht''; li, Lambaer, Baer, Bert(us); 636 – c. 705 AD) was the bishop of Maastricht-Liège ( Tongeren) from about 670 until his death. L ...
(c. 1100–c. 1170) - Bishop, saint * Annemarie Mol (1943) - Ethnographer and philosopher * Rene van der Linden (1943) - Politician * Joep Lange (1954–2014) - Clinical researcher specializing in HIV therapy *
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 Wa ...
(1924–1987) - Politician * Gerd Leers (1951) - Politician, Minister of Immigration and Asylum * Jan Pieter Minckeleers (1748–1824) - Physician, inventor * Philip de Montmorency (c. 1524–1568) - Victim of the Inquisition in the
Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands ( Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the ...
*
Charles of Mount Argus Charles of Mount Argus (11 December 1821 – 5 January 1893), was a Dutch Passionist priest who served in 19th-century Ireland. He gained a reputation for his compassion for the sick and those in need of guidance. His reputation for healing ...
(1821–1893) - Priest, saint * Johannes Murmellius (c. 1480–1517) - Teacher and humanist *
Erycius Puteanus Erycius Puteanus (4 November 1574 – 17 September 1646) was a humanist and philologist from the Low Countries. Name Erycius Puteanus is a latinization of his name, which was rendered in various ways, including Hendrick van den Putte (Put, Putt ...
(1574–1646) - Humanist * Christian Quix (1773–1844) - Priest, historian, director of the city library of Aachen *
Richardis of Bavaria Richardis of Bavaria (1173 – 7 December 1231) was a German noblewoman. She was a daughter of Count Palatine Otto I of Bavaria, who later became the first Wittelsbach ''Duke'' of Bavaria, and his wife Agnes of Loon. Richardis married Ott ...
(1173–1231) - Abbess * Ria Oomen-Ruijten (1950) - Politician and member of the European Parliament *
Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Charles Joseph Marie Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (1 December 1873 – 17 April 1936) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP), later formed to the Catholic People's Party (KVP) now merged into the Christian Democratic A ...
(1873–1936) - Politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands *
Jolande Sap Johanna Catharina Maria "Jolande" Sap (born 22 May 1963) is a former Dutch politician and former educator and civil servant. A member of GroenLinks (GL), she replaced Wijnand Duyvendak as a member of the House of Representatives on 3 September ...
(1963) - Politician * Frans Schraven (1873–1937) - Bishop in China * François Vincent Henri Antoine de Stuers (1792–1881) - Dutch general and commander of the East Indies Army *
H. J. J. L. de Stuers Hubert Joseph Jean Lambert ridder de Stuers (November 16, 1788 in Roermond – April 13, 1861 in Maastricht) was a Dutch general and commander of the East Indies Army. Life De Stuers joined the French army as a volunteer and in 1817 he left for ...
(1788–1861) - Dutch general and commander of the East Indies Army * Victor de Stuers (1843–1916) - Historian, lawyer, civil servant and politician *
Frans Timmermans Frans is an Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish given name, sometimes as a short form of ''François''. One cognate of Frans in English is ''Francis''. Given name * Frans van Aarssens (1572–1641), Dutch diploma ...
(1961) - Politician, current First Vice President of the European Commission and former Minister of Foreign Affairs * Yvonne Timmerman-Buck (1956) - Politician, President of the Senate of the Netherlands *
Jac. P. Thijsse Jacobus Pieter Thijsse (25 July 1865 – 8 January 1945) was a Dutch conservationist and botanist. He founded the Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands. In 1925, on the occasion of his 60th birthday he was honored ...
(1865–1945) - Biologist, ecologist * Johannes Herman Frederik Umbgrove (1899–1954) - Geologist and earth scientist * Maxime Verhagen (1956) - Politician, former Minister of Economic Affairs * Waleran III (c. 1165–1226) - Count of Arlon and Duke of Limburg *
Frans de Wever Frans Marie Joseph de Wever (29 January 1869, in Nuth – 9 September 1940, in Heerlen) was a Dutch general practitioner, municipal doctor, rail doctor, mining doctor, and hospital founder.Hendriks, J., & Brun, S. (1979). 75 Jaar De Wever-Ziek ...
(1869–1940) - General practicioner *
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'') ...
(1963) - Politician Entertainment, arts * Jean-Eugène-Charles Alberti (1777–c. 1850) - Painter *
Willem Victor Bartholomeus Willem Victor Bartholomeus ( Bunde, 11 February 1825 – Zwolle, 13 August 1892) was a Dutch organist and conductor. He was born in the family of sexton/organist/church singer Jan/Jean Bartholomeus and Maria Cornelia Isabella Hagemans. His brothe ...
(1825–1892) - Organist and conductor * Jan van Cleve (1646–1716) - Painter * Jean-Baptiste Coclers (1696–1772) - Painter * Louis Bernard Coclers (1740–1817) - Painter * Jo Coenen (1949) - Architect and urban planner * Gerrit Gerritsz Cuyp (c. 1565–1644) - Glazier and painter *
Mike van Diem Mike van Diem (born 1959, in Druten, grew up in Sittard) is a Dutch film director. In 1990, his short film ''Alaska'' won a Golden Calf for best short film and the Student Academy Award for best foreign student film in the drama category. In 19 ...
(1959) - Film director * Rineke Dijkstra (1959) - Photographer * Carach Angren - Band *
Jan Frans van Douven Jan Frans van Douven, or Johan Francois Douven (2 March 1656, in Roermond – 1727, in Düsseldorf) was a Southern Netherlandish portrait painter belonging to the Dutch Leyden School. Born in Roermond, he spent most of his life as Court painter ...
(1656–1727) - Painter *
Epica Epica or EPICA may refer to: * Epica (band) Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica ha ...
- Band * Hendrick Fromantiou (1633–1693) - Painter *
Hendrick Goltzius Hendrick Goltzius, or Hendrik, (; ; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, or Northern Mannerism, lauded for h ...
(1558–1617) - Painter and printmaker * Marleen Gorris (1948) - Film director *
Koen Heldens Koen Heldens is a Dutch born mix engineer residing in Miami Florida. Koen started his career in 2003 and rose to prominence in 2017 when he started working with the late XXXTentacion with which he earned a Guinness World Records for most streame ...
(1986) - Mixing engineer * Wilhelm of Herle ( fl. 1370) - Painter * Toon Hermans (1916–2000) - Comedian, singer and writer * Jan Baptist Herregouts (c. 1640–1721) - Painter * Francine Houben (1955) - Architect *
Chantal Janzen Chantal Janzen (; born 15 February 1979) is a Dutch actress, singer and TV presenter. She had parts in ''The Preacher'', ''Full Moon Party'' and '' Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo'' and presented '' Idols''. She also played Belle in the Dutch mus ...
(1979) - Actress * Pierre Kemp (1886–1967) - Poet and painter *
Mathieu Kessels Mathieu Kessels (20 May 1784 – 4 March 1836) was a Dutch Neoclassical sculptor who mainly worked in Rome. Biography Mathieu Kessels (also known as Matthias or Matthijs) was born the son of a carpenter in Maastricht. One of his brothers beca ...
(1784–1836) - Sculptor * Limbourg brothers ( fl. 1385 – 1416) - Miniature painters * Henk van der Linden (1925–2021) - Film director * Marjon Lambriks (1949) - Soprano singer *
Henri Linssen Henri Linssen ( Roermond, 28 October 1805 – Roermond, 8 April 1869) was a Dutch painter. Biography Henri Linssen was born in Roermond, Limburg, on 28 October 1805. He was active in Antwerp from 1824 to 1828. In 1830 he moved to Paris, where ...
(1805–1869) - Painter * Pierre Lyonnet (1706–1789) - Artist, engraver and illustrator * David de Meyne (c. 1569–1620) - Painter * Hadewych Minis (1959) - Actress, Golden Calf for Best Actress winner *
Connie Palmen Aldegonda Petronella Huberta Maria "Connie" Palmen (born 25 November 1955) is a Dutch author. Palmen debuted with the novel ''De wetten'' (1990), published in the United States as ''The Laws'' (1993), translated by Richard Huijing. ''The Laws'' ...
(1955) - Writer *
Frits Peutz F.P.J. Peutz (7 April 1896 – 24 October 1974) was a Dutch (Limburgian) architect. Biography Peutz was born in a Catholic family in Uithuizen in Groningen, a mostly Protestant province in the north of the Netherlands. In 1910 he was sent to the ...
(1896–1974) - Architect * Guido Pieters (1948) - Film director * Pussycat - Band * Christoffel Puytlinck (1640–c. 1679) - Painter *
Louis Raemaekers Louis Raemaekers (April 6, 1869 – July 26, 1956) was a Dutch painter and editorial cartoonist for the Amsterdam newspaper ''De Telegraaf'' during World War I, noted for his anti-German stance. Early life He was born and grew up in Roermond, ...
(1869–1956) - Painter and editorial cartoonist *
André Rieu André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (; is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act. He re ...
(1949) - Musician, bandleader * Frank Scheffer (1956) - Documentary film producer *
Heintje Simons Hendrik Nikolaas Theodoor "Heintje" Simons (born 12 August 1955) in Heerlen, later known as Hein Simons, is a Dutch schlager singer and actor. Background Heintje was born the son of a coal miner who had to retire because of silicosis, reduci ...
(1955) - Singer and actor *
Simone Simons Simone Johanna Maria Simons (born 17 January 1985) is a Dutch singer. She is best known for being the lead singer of Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, which she joined at the age of seventeen, releasing eight studio albums and touring the world ...
(1985) - Singer *
Huub Stapel Hubertus Wijnandus Jozef Marie (Huub) Stapel (born 2 December 1954, in Tegelen) is a Dutch actor. He is especially known from the films ''De Lift'' (1983), ''Flodder'' (1986) and '' Amsterdamned'' (1988) by Dick Maas. He also appeared in the G ...
(1954) - Actor * Jan van Steffeswert (c. 1460–c. 1531) - Sculptor *
Johann Friedrich August Tischbein Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, known as the ''Leipziger Tischbein'' (9 March 1750, Maastricht - 21 June 1812, Heidelberg) was a German portrait painter from the Tischbein family of artists. Biography He received his first lessons from his ...
(1750–1812) - Painter * Lotte Verbeek (1982) - Actress *
Jacques Verheyen Jacobus Hubertus (Jacques) Verheyen (5 February 1911 – 20 August 1989) was a Dutch glazier and painter. Life and work Verheyen, also Verheijen,Pieter A. Scheen, Scheen, P.A. (1969) ''Lexicon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750-1950''. 's-Gr ...
(1911–1989) - Glazier and painter *
Carel de Vogelaer Karel van Vogelaer or Carel de Vogelaer, nicknamed Distelbloem (''Thistle flower'') (1653 - 8 August 1695) was a Dutch still life painter from Maastricht primarily active in Italy where he was known as Carlo dei Fiori''. He made a name with his ...
(1653–1695) - Painter * Hubert Vos (1855–1935) - Painter * Jeroen Willems (1962–2012) - Actor,
Golden Calf According to the Bible, the golden calf (עֵגֶל הַזָּהָב '' ‘ēgel hazzāhāv'') was an idol (a cult image) made by the Israelites when Moses went up to Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as ''ḥēṭə’ hā‘ēgel' ...
and
Louis d'Or The Louis d'or () is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was rep ...
winner Sports * Gerard Bergholtz (1939) - Football player * Eddy Beugels (1944–2018) - Cyclist * Rens Blom (1977) - Athlete *
Mark van Bommel Mark Peter Gertruda Andreas van Bommel (born 22 April 1977) is a Dutch football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the manager of Belgian side Royal Antwerp. His FIFA World Cup profile describes him as "a tacklin ...
(1977) - Football player * Jo Bonfrère (1946) - Football player and coach * Antonius Bouwens (1876–1963) - Sport shooter * Bart Brentjens (1968) - Cyclist * Willy Brokamp (1946) - Football player *
Roel Brouwers Roel Brouwers (; born 28 November 1981) is a Dutch former footballer who last played for Roda JC Kerkrade in the Dutch Eredivisie. Club career Brouwers played the majority of his professional career in Germany. He started at hometown amateur s ...
(1981) - Football player * Jeu van Bun (1918–2002) - Football player *
Bart Carlier Anthonius Hubertus "Bart" Carlier (23 June 1929 – 4 May 2017) was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent eight seasons in France, winning league championships with AS Monaco in 1961 and 1963. Carlier appeared for th ...
(1929–2017) - Football player *
Wiel Coerver Wiel Coerver (; 3 December 1924 – 22 April 2011) was a Dutch football manager and the developer of the "Coerver Method", a football coaching technique. Playing career Coerver played five years for local side Rapid JC, with whom he won t ...
(1924–2011) - Football manager * Annemarie Cox (Anna Wood) (1966) - Canoer *
Annemiek Derckx Anna Maria ("Annemiek") Josephine Derckx (born April 12, 1954, in Beegden, Limburg) is a Dutch sprint canoer who competed in the 1980s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, she earned two bronze medals (1984: K-1 500 m, 1988: K-2 500 m). ...
(1954) - Sprint canoer * Willy Dullens (1945) - Football player * Tom Dumoulin (1990) - Cyclist *
Mark Flekken Mark Flekken (born 13 June 1993) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club SC Freiburg and the Netherlands national team. Early years Flekken grew up in Bocholtz, Limburg, Netherlands on the German bo ...
(1993) - Football player * Mia Gommers (1939) - Athlete *
Jorrit Hendrix Jorrit Petrus Carolina Hendrix (born 6 February 1995) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for German club Fortuna Düsseldorf. Club career PSV Hendrix started playing youth football at hometown club SV P ...
(1995) - Football player *
Max van Heeswijk Max Lambert Peter van Heeswijk (born 2 March 1973 in Hoensbroek, Limburg) is a Dutch retired professional road racing cyclist. He finished 15th road race at the 2000 Summer Olympics and 17th in the road race at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Caree ...
(1973) - Cyclist *
Wim Hof Wim Hof (; born 20 April 1959), also known as The Iceman, is a Dutch motivational speaker and extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand low temperatures. He previously held a Guinness World Record for swimming under ice and prolonged fu ...
(1959) - Extreme athlete and motivational speaker *
Kevin Hofland Kevin Hofland (born 7 June 1979) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player, and was last the head coach of Eerste Divisie club Willem II. A centre back during his career, Hofland played 15 active seasons in which he amassed Ere ...
(1979) - Football player *
Pieter van den Hoogenband Pieter Cornelis Martijn van den Hoogenband (; born 14 March 1978) is a Dutch retired swimmer. He is a triple Olympic champion and former world record holder. Early life Born in Maastricht, Limburg, he is the son of Cees-Rein van den Hoogenba ...
(1978) - Swimmer * Leo Horn (1916–1995) - Football referee * Dominique Janssen (1995) - Football player * Sjefke Janssen (1919–2014) - Cyclist *
Pierre Kerkhoffs Pieter Johannes Elisabeth Kerkhoffs (26 March 1936 – 19 October 2021), known as Pierre Kerkhoffs, was a Dutch footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a striker. Kerkhoffs played club football for SC Enschede an ...
(1936–2021) - Football player * Jan Klaassens (1931–1983) - Football player * Coy Koopal (1932–2003) - Football player * Jan Krekels (1947) - Cyclist * Jan Lambrichs (1915–1990) - Cyclist * Vanity Lewerissa (1991) - Football player *
Marie-Louise Linssen-Vaessen Marie-Louise Jean Joséphine Linssen-Vaessen (19 March 1928 – 15 February 1993) was a freestyle swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes pl ...
- Freestyle swimmer * René Lotz (1938) - Cyclist * Eric van der Luer (1965) - Football player * Jo Maas (1954) - Cyclist * Dirk Marcellis (1988) - Football player * Lieke Martens (1992) - Football player * Pierre Massy (1900–1958) - Football player * Erik Meijer (1969) - Football player * Manoe Meulen (1978) - Football player * Danny Nelissen (1970) - Cyclist * Jean Nelissen (1936–2010) - Sports journalist * Jan Nolten (1930–2014) - Cyclist * Jan Notermans (1933) - Football player *
Joep Packbiers Jan Joseph "Joep" Packbiers (19 January 1875 – 8 December 1957) was an archer from the Netherlands. He was born in Nuth, Limburg and died in Maastricht, Limburg. He represented his native country at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgi ...
(1875–1957) - Archer *
Maartje Paumen Maartje Yvonne Helene Paumen (born 19 September 1985) is a former Dutch field hockey player. She is currently assistant coach for Dutch club MOP. She previously played for Dutch clubs Oranje Zwart and HC Den Bosch and Belgian club Royal Antwerp. ...
(1985) - Hockey player * Wout Poels (1987) - Cyclist * Fernando Ricksen (1976–2019) - Football player * Gonnelien Rothenberger (1969) - Equestrian *
Sjeng Schalken Sjeng Schalken (; born 8 September 1976) is a former professional tennis player from the Netherlands. Playing style A right-handed baseliner with a single-handed backhand, Schalken's game is characterised by his consistency of both wings and his ...
(1976) - Tennis player *
Lisa Scheenaard Lisa Scheenaard (born 5 September 1988) is a Dutch Rowing (sport), rower. Rowing She won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the Rowing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's double sculls, double sculls event together with Roos de ...
(1988) - Rower * Perr Schuurs (1999) - Football player * Kay Smits (1997) - Handball player *
Jeu Sprengers Mathieu Gerardus Marie "Jeu" Sprengers (24 May 1938, Tegelen – 6 April 2008) was the Dutch chairman of the Royal Dutch Football Association The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. ...
(1938–2008) - KNVB football chairman *
Huub Stevens Hubertus Jozef Margaretha "Huub" Stevens (; born 29 November 1953) is a Dutch former professional football manager and player. Playing career Stevens was born in Sittard. While active, he played for Fortuna Sittard and PSV. During his time at ...
(1953) - Football player and coach * Karin Stevens (1989) - Football player *
Wilbert Suvrijn Wilbert Suvrijn (born 26 October 1962) is a Dutch former professional footballer. Mainly a central defender, he could also operate as a defensive midfielder. Club career Suvrijn was born in Sittard, Limburg. In his country, he represented h ...
(1962) - Football player * Arjen Teeuwissen (1971) - Equestrian * Stan Valckx (1963) - Football player * Arnold Vanderlyde (1963) - Boxer * Mark Veens (1978) - Freestyle swimmer * Lambert Verdonk (1944) - Football player *
Sef Vergoossen Josephus Gerardus Dominicus "Sef" Vergoossen (, born 5 August 1947 in Echt) is a former Dutch football manager. Biography Vergoossen began his managerial career in 1978 with VVV-Venlo, managing the club for 12 years until 1989, after which he ...
(1947) - Football manager * Joeri Verlinden (1988) - Swimmer * Pierre Vermeulen (1956) - Football player *
Jos Verstappen Johannes Franciscus Verstappen (; born 4 March 1972) is a former (Formula One) racing driver. Verstappen was the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993. In Formula 1, Verstappen raced for seven different te ...
(1972) - Racing driver *
Ronald Waterreus Ronald Katarina Martinus Waterreus (; born 25 August 1970) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He notably played for PSV Eindhoven and Rangers, before ending his career at New York Red Bulls in the Major League Soccer. Club ...
(1970) - Football player * Steve Wijler (1996) - Archer * Ad Wijnands (1959) - Cyclist *
Lynn Wilms Lynn Anke Hannie Wilms (born 3 October 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back or a centre-back for Frauen-Bundesliga The Frauen-Bundesliga (German for ''Women's Federal League''), currently known as the FLYERALARM ...
(2000) - Football player *
Peter Winnen Peter Johannes Gertrudis Winnen (born 5 September 1957) is a Dutch former road racing cyclist. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in road racing and finished in 26th place. After the Games he turned professional in 1981. Among his 14 victor ...
(1957) - Cyclist * Fons van Wissen (1933–2015) - Football player * Boudewijn Zenden (1976) - Football player (''List of famous Belgian Limburgians: Famous Limburgians (Belgium)'')


Nature

In 2012, from April 5 to October 7, the ten-yearly world horticulture expo " Floriade" was held in Venlo. Nationally and internationally known are nature films and nature television series produced by filmdirector Maurice Nijsten and nature protector Jo Erkens. Eijsden-Grenspaal 47 (NL).JPG, 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 municipalit ...
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 ...
enters this province as well as the country Ravensbosjsjtraobaekwkped07.JPG, Path in Southern Limburgian Ravensbos Gulp-Slenaken.jpg, River Gulp near
Slenaken Slenaken (Limburgish: ''Sjlennich'') is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. Slenaken was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with Wittem. History On a bank of the River Gulp, just to the south of Slenaken, is the ...
Mookerheide near Molenhoek.jpg, Site at the Mooker heath in Northern Limburg View from the Schneeberg in Germany to Oud-Lemiers in the Netherlands.jpg, Oud-Lemiers near
Vaals Vaals (; Ripuarian: ) is a town in the extreme southeastern part of the Dutch province of Limburg, which is in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. The municipality covers an area of in the foothills of the Ardennes–Eifelrange a ...
, as seen from the Schneeberg in Germany Brunssummerheideoverview2.jpg,
Brunssum Brunssum (; li, Broensem) is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The municipality of Brunssum has residents as of . Brunssum was a center of coal mining until 1973. Population centres Topography Histor ...
mer heath in South Eastern Limburg


See also

* Buckriders *
Campine The Campine (French ) or De Kempen ( Dutch ) is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encom ...
(De Kempen) *
Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel Island, Queensland *Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated communi ...
(De Peel) * Salient


References


External links


Province of Limburg
(in Dutch and English)
Limburg Tourist Information
(in English) {{Authority control * Coal mining regions in the Netherlands NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union Provinces of the Netherlands Regions of Europe with multiple official languages