Meerssen (; ) is a town and a

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

in southeastern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

History

The

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 of ...

was signed in Meerssen in 870. The Treaty of Meerssen was an agreement of the division of the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...

by the surviving sons of

Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...

: Charles II of the West Franks and

Louis the German Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...

of the East Franks. Around the middle of the 10th century the allodium Meerssen was the property of queen Gerberga, the daughter of king Henry I. She was the spouse of

Louis IV of France Louis IV (920/921 – 10 September 954), called ''d'Outremer'' or ''Transmarinus'' ("From overseas"), reigned as King of West Francia from 936 to 954. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, he was the only son of king Charles the Simple and his s ...

. In 968 she donated all her property to the abbey of

Saint Remigius Remigius ( or ; – 13 January 533) was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event in the Christ ...

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

Population centres

Transportation

Railway station: Meerssen

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Meerssen is a founding member of the

Douzelage Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. Name The name is a portmanteau of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for t ...

, a

town twinning A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

association of 24 towns across the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals. Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns ( Agros in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Škofja Loka Škofja Loka (; ) is a town in Slovenia. It is the economic, cultural, educational, and administrative center of the Municipality of Škofja Loka in Upper Carniola. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. Geography Škofja Loka lies at an elevation of ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, and Tryavna in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Notable people

* Charles Eyck (1897 in Meerssen - 1983) a Dutch visual artist * Hubert Levigne (1905 in Meerssen - 1989) a Dutch artist * Gerard Kockelmans (1925 in Meerssen - 1965) a Dutch composer, conductor and music teacher * Jef Lahaye (1932 in Bunde – 1990) a Dutch professional racing cyclist * Maria van der Hoeven (born 1949 in Meerssen) a retired Dutch politician * Erik Meijer (born 1969 in Meerssen) a retired Dutch footballer with 462 club caps * Kyara Stijns (born 1995 in Bunde) a Dutch professional racing cyclist

Gallery

File:Geulle-Westbroek 59 (1).JPG, Geulle-Westbroek File:Old farm near Meerssen (South Limburg, Netherlands 2008) (2476530208).jpg, Old farm near Meerssen File:Overzicht van een der vleugels van de herenhof - Bunde - 20406639 - RCE.jpg, Overzicht van een der vleugels van de herenhof - Bunde File:Ulestraten-De nar van Ulestraten (3).JPG, Ulestraten-De nar van Ulestraten File:Ulestraten-Groot Berghem 13.JPG, Ulestraten-Groot Berghem

References

;Notes

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) South Limburg (Netherlands)