Limburg
Limburg is the most southern province of the Netherlands, encompassing the eastern part of the historical region of Limburg or Limbourg - the other part forms the namesake province of Belgium. Limburg is different from the rather flat rest of the Netherlands as it is remarkably hilly, it remains predominantly Catholic (while the majority of the country is Protestant).
The capital of the Dutch Limburg is Maastricht, famous for its medieval old town and the namesake treaty signed there, which basically created the European Union.
Cities
Limburg stretches from south to north over three regions:
- North Limburg
- Middle Limburg
- South Limburg
Talk
Most people (roughly 78%) in Limburg speak Limburgish in every day life, a regional language closely related to Dutch and German. Dutch is the official language used for practically all forms of official (and most unofficial) written communication. In the larger cities, Dutch is also the main colloquial language. The majority of the people furthermore speak English and German with various levels of fluency. Some French is spoken in areas near the border with Wallonia.
Get in
By plane
- Maastricht/Aachen Airport is a regional airport located near Maastricht.
- Brussels Airport can be reached in an hour from Mid- and South-Limburg.
- Eindhoven Airport, a base for low-cost carriers, can be reached by car and public transportation.
- Amsterdam Airport offers train connections to several cities in Limburg.
- Weeze Airport in northwest Germany can be reached by car.
By train
The Dutch railway serves Limburg with regional branches and intercity-branches to Amsterdam and The Hague. German railway links connect Heerlen to Aachen and Venlo to Mönchengladbach by local trains. Maastricht is connected to Liege in Belgium by local train.
Get around
Arriva operates the local railway concession in Limburg, as well as the numerous regional and municipal bus lines within the province.
See
- Museum Asselt
- Old castles in Eijsden, Hoensbroek, Arcen and Valkenburg
- American War Cemetery in Margraten
- National Park "De Meinweg" about 8 km southeast of Roermond
- Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht, with works by Cranach and Brueghel as well as modern artists
- Museum De Locht in Melderslo. A museum about life in north-Limburg in 1850–1950, with departments about mushroom- and asparagusculture.
- 1 Thorn, municipality of Maasgouw. The centre of this small town is distinctive in that most of the buildings in its centre have a white-painted façade.
Do
- South Limburg is very popular with hikers and bikers. The terrain is very hilly by Dutch standards.
- Carnaval is celebrated all over Limburg, typically held during February or early March.
Eat
A typical Limburg food is the Limburgse vlaai, which is a sweet pie which originally comes from Weert.
Drink
Limburg is famous in the Netherlands for its local beer. The known local brands of beer in Limburg are:
- Alfa Beer (Schinnen)
- Brand Beer (Wijlre)
- Probatum (Horst)
- Mestreechs Blónt & Double Saison de Liège (Maastricht)
- Steinder Wit (Stein)
- Gulpener (Gulpen)
- Veldwachter & Rolduc abdij-bier (Beek)
- Hertog Jan (Arcen)
- Leeuwbier (Valkenburg)
- Lindeboom (Neer)
- Wieckse Witte, Vos & Maltezer (Maastricht)
- Zonnestraal & Avondrood (Sevenum)
- Christoffel (Roermond)
Go next
Limburg is at "the corner of Europe", with long borders with Belgium and Germany. You can use it as a starting point to exploring many different regions:
- Continue exploring Limburg into its Belgian part
- Stay in the Netherlands and head northwest to North Brabant or up north to Gelderland
- Go east to North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany
- Head south for the French-speaking Belgian province of Liege in Wallonia