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Thorn is an old city and former independent microstate in Limburg, The Netherlands and small parts of Belgian Limburg.

Understand

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Thorn is also known as the Little white city for its iconic white houses all across its city centre.

It was founded as a proprietary nunnery (a cloister founded on private ground by a feudal lord) belonging to the dominium of Kessenich (Belgium), which was a dominion of Liège. Thorn broke its ties with Liège in the 12th century, and began acting as if it were an independent domain directly under the Emperor's control. Its overlordship was shared between Guelders (roughly modern-day Gelderland and Dutch Limburg) and the small neighbouring dominion of Horn. Reginald (Reinoud) I, Count of Guelders, confirms Thorns' independence in 1282, and Adolf of Nassau does the same ten years later when he becomes King of the Romans.

The massive Sint-Michaëlskerk or Abdijkerk, the main remnant of the old abbey, dominates Thorn's skyline.

The principality was governed by the nunnery, and during its first decades of independence saw some of its properties usurped by surrounding states. In 1487, Thorn is adopted into the Reichsmatrikel, a list of the Holy Roman Empire that dictated how many troops a country in the empire had to supply to the Imperial Army, and in 1548 the abbey and its possessions is reorganised into the Lower Rheinish-Westphalian Circle. Friction between circles existed, however, as the Duchy of Guelders organised legislative law, and it belonged to the Burgundian Circle. After centuries of going back and forth between circles, the Emperor cuts the ties between Thorn and Guelders, leaving Thorn wholly independent as a microstate within the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until its incorporation into Revolutionary France in 1794. During the 18th century, Thorn remains relevant on the international stage as the abbey becomes a retreat for girls of nobility to be prepared for marriages with husbands of the highest standing, or, should they not come around, for them to live a comfortable life in a protected environment. Of the noblewomen that lived in Thorn, they elected one of their own to reign as abbess-monarch.

Thorn suffered under the French occupation, and led to the city centre getting its characteristic white buildings. Due to a French tax on windows, many of the poor citizens of Thorn bricked up their windows, and subsequently chalked their houses white as to hide the traces of the modifications made.

The abbey church (Sint-Michaëlkerk) replaced the parish church in 1817, as the abbey itself had largely disappeared from the city, not in part due to a city-wide fire in 1645. When in 1839 Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands properly, and Limburg was divided between the two countries, Thorn came to be a part of the Netherlands. The city expanded with a new suburb to the north of the old city during the second half of the twentieth century. The old city centre became a protected complex in 1974, and the city remained a municipality until 2007, when it was merged with nearby Maasbracht and Heel. As of 2023, the city counts just shy of 2500 inhabitants.

Tourist information

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Tourist information (VVV) is located in the central square, in front of the church:

  • 1 VVV Thorn, +31 475 561 085, . Organises monthly thematic tours of the town, as well as group excursions. Other than that, this VVV dependency offers what most of them do: In-depth information about what to do, where to go, and what to see. (updated Apr 2024)

Get in

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By car

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Thorn lies along the A2 highway between Weert and Echt.

From Eindhoven, follow the A2 highway heading southeast towards Roermond and Maastricht, and use exit 41 (Grathem, Ittervoort), turning right onto the N273 (Napoleonsweg). Once you reach Ittervoort, take a left onto the Ittervoorterweg. This road will become Casino, then Wal, then Steenputstraat and Meers once it reaches Thorn.

From Nijmegen, use the A73 highway to head south towards Venlo, Roermond and Maastricht. Use the highway to pass the first two of those cities. Use exit 22 (Maasbracht) to leave the A73, then turn right twice, joining the A2 highway heading for Eindhoven. After crossing the river Meuse (Dutch: Maas), use exit 42 (Wessem) to leave the highway. Cross underneath the highway, turn right immediately after, avoiding the town centre of Wessem, and follow the road Paardenbeemd, which becomes Meers, to get into Thorn.

From Maastricht, use the A2 highway heading north for Eindhoven. From here, use exit 42 (Wessem) once you've crossed the river Meuse, and follow the instructions above.

By public transit

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Getting to Thorn by public transit is not necessarily difficult, but it is inconvenient. The town has three bus halts, the main one being 1 Thorn, Centrum. The nearest train stations that offer a connection to the city are in Roermond and Weert. Both of them connect to Thorn using bus line 73, which runs between both cities on an hourly basis, departing from Roermond at :05, and from Weert at :01. Both departure times have a few minutes of play to them. The journey by bus takes 27 minutes from Weert, and 23 from Roermond. The latter is the more equipped station, but Weert is an earlier stop coming from Utrecht. Roermond is more convenient when travelling via Nijmegen or coming from the south (Heerlen, Maastricht).

From Belgium, your journey by public transit will be highly inconvenient. All traffic either goes through Maastricht or Eindhoven, excluding a single bus line (35) from Maaseik to Sittard. From the halt "Station Arriva" in Susteren, halfway along this route, you can take a stopping train towards Roermond, and take bus 73 to Thorn from there. More or less anywhere else but northeast Belgian Limburg should either travel via Breda and Eindhoven through Antwerp, or via Maastricht through Liège.

Get around

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As mentioned, getting around Thorn by public transit is inconvenient, having only three bus stops and a single hourly service serving them. The city centre can easily be explored on foot - It's not exactly vast. The wider area is best explored by bicycle.

  • 1 Bruno Rent, Hofstraat 4 (behind the church), ☏ +31 610 665 037, . 10:00-17:00. Only bicycle rental company in Thorn. Every rental comes with a map of the cycling nodes in the area, as well as optional routes. Prices are per day, and do not include a deposit of €50 for a normal bike, and €100 for an e-bike. €17½ (e-bikes: €29½). (updated Apr 2024)

See

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  • The city centre of Thorn is easily explored on foot. It's best known for its white houses, and is dense with listed monuments. Do note that most streets are paved with rocks, which might prove problematic for people with impaired mobility. Throughout it, you will also find remnants of the abbey that once reigned the microstate:
    • Hofstraat 10-14. A set of three houses. Numbers 10 and 14 served as gate buildings, lining one of the entry points into the abbey. Number 12 housed the abbey kitchens.
    • Remnants of the Immunity gate along the Kloosterberg. Its name is based around the city's special place when it came to international law. Within the walls, foreign authorities had no direct say over you.
  • 1 Sint-Michaëlskerk (Abbey Church of Thorn), Hoogstraat 5. The parish church of Thorn, which mostly dates from the 14th century and once formed a key part of the abbey complex. The gothic church contains a crypt in its core, and has a raised choir for the ruling class consisting of noblewomen, aptly named the "Regentess' Choir", The church is partly built on the remnants of its predecessor, a smaller romanesque church. The church was renovated in the 19th century by the revered neogothic architect Pierre Cuypers (famous for iconic buildings of the Netherlands such as the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam). Cuypers had the eastern chapels demolished and the tower expanded. Abdijkerk van Thorn (Q334424) on Wikidata (updated Apr 2024)
  • 2 Begijnhof (Former beguinage), Kloosterberg 1. Begijnhof (Q17443600) on Wikidata (updated Apr 2024)
  • 3 Munthuis (Former mint), Daalstraat 3. Former minting house of Thorn, which was in use during the 15th and 16th centuries. Daalstraat 3, Thorn (Q17443540) on Wikidata (updated Apr 2024)
  • 4 Kraekermolen (Kraeker Mill), Beekstraat 13. Kraekermolen (Q17443502) on Wikidata (updated Apr 2024)
  • 5 Museum Thorn, Wijngaard 14, ☏ +31 475 561 380, . Tu-Su 11:00-16:00. Thorn Museum (Q26411393) on Wikidata (updated Apr 2024)

Do

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Advantage of a small city like Thorn: It takes some genuine effort to get lost(!)
Wijngaard, the central square of Thorn.
  • Thorn and its surroundings are very accessible for cycling and hiking due to its location on the river Meuse. The landscape is quite flat from north to south, but going inland will give you more gradients. Much of the Meuse here, is organised into Landschapspark Maasvallei, a network of connected nature reserves along the river itself. Many of these are accessible to walk and bike through. Two of these nature reserves are located on the Belgian side of the border from Thorn:
    • 1 Vijverbroek (nearest entry point by Thornerweg 1, Kessenich (B)). Vijverbroek (Q2932516) on Wikidata (updated Apr 2024)
    • 2 Koningssteen (nearest entry point via Waterstraat). Koningssteen (Q13744971) on Wikidata (updated Apr 2024)
  • Due to that same proximity to the lakes around the river Meuse, Thorn's riverside lends itself quite well to all sorts of watersports.
    • 3 E-Flow, Waterstraat, ☏ +31 611 074 931, . Tu-Th 12:00-17:00; F-Su 10:00-17:00. Rents out e-foils and SUPs, as well as instructional classes for the former. Hourly rental rates of €19½ (SUP), €89 (E-foil). (updated Apr 2024)

Buy

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Eat

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Drink

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  • 1 Thorns Wit, Steegputstraat 6, ☏ +31 651 778 099, . Brewery of solely white beers, founded in 2021. Also sells some other small brands' products. (updated Apr 2024)
  • 2 Wijngoed Thorn (Thorn Winery), Bogenstraat 12A, ☏ +31 475 561 002, . Oct-Mar: Th-Sa 14:00-16:00; Apr-Sep: W-F 14:00-16:00, Sa 13:00-17:00. Northernmost winery in the Meuse valley, as well as the only Dutch one. Het Wijngoed sells Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Dornfelder, Pinot Blanc, Gris and Noir, and Riesling, among others. (updated Apr 2024)

Sleep

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Connect

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Go next

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  • Nearby Roermond isn't that far away, and it being a significantly larger city, it offers a lot more variety when it comes to things to do.
  • A little bit upstream, on the opposite bank of the river Meuse, lies Stevensweert. The town was fortified with seven bastions and five ravelins by the Spanish during the Dutch Revolt. Of these ravelins and bastions, one set has been restored around 2007.
  • The nearest Belgian city is Maaseik, which could even be reached by bike. The city is rather historical like Thorn, retaining many of its classic buildings to this day.
This city travel guide to Thorn is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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