Maastricht

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Maastricht, also spelled Maestricht, or Mestreech in local dialect, (population 122,000) is the oldest city of the Netherlands, and capital of the province of Limburg. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river (Maas in Dutch) in the south-eastern appendix of the Netherlands in between Belgium and Germany. The name of city is derived from its Latin name Mosae Traiectum (Meuse-crossing), referring to the bridge founded by the Romans under the reign of Augustus Caesar.

Institutions located in Maastricht include the Universiteit Maastricht (Maastricht University) and the Bonnefanten Museum of art.

To the south of the city is the "mountain" of St. Pietersberg which has an old fort and a network of caves within. The caves maintain a constant temperature of 10°C and are a hibernation place for bats. It is possible to visit the caves at certain times by guided tour.

Maastricht has a railway connection to Liege (city), Belgium, as well as northward to Eindhoven and further.

History An early Christian bishopric until the city lost this position to nearby Liege, Belgium in the 8th century, Maastricht developed in the Middle Ages into a city of dual authority, with both the Prince-Bishopric of Liege and the Duchy of Brabant holding joint sovereignty over the city. The role of the Dukes was occupied by the Dutch States General from 1632 onwards when the city was taken from the Spanish by Frederik Hendrik. This duality remained in force until the conquest and annexation of the city by the French in 1794.

Skeletons uncovered in a front garden in Maastricht in May 2004 may be the remains of musketeers who died during a fierce 17th century battle between French troops and defenders of the southern Dutch city according to news reports.

On 14 June 1673, Louis XIV's troops started to surround the city of Maastricht. Under the leadership of Captain-Lieutenant D'Artagnan, the First Company of "Mousquetaires du Roi" prepared to storm a rampart located in front of one of the city's gates.

The assault on the bulwark took place not far from where the seven skeletons were found. The elite French officer, Charles de Batz de Castelmore (better known as D'Artagnan) was killed on 25 June 1673 during a night attack on the Tongerse Poort (Tongerse Gate). D'Artagnan later became famous as the popular hero from the adventure novels (also know as the D'Artagnan Romances) by Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Man in the Iron Mask).

Despite the fact that D'Artagnan was killed after being shot in the head by a musket bullet fired from the nearby fortress wall, the Dutch city surrendered to French troops on 30 June. The French troops occupied the Dutch city from 1673 to 1679.

After the Napoleonic era, Maastricht became a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. When the southern provinces sought independence from the North to form Belgium in 1830, the garrison in Maastricht remained loyal to the Dutch king and in 1839 the city and the eastern part of Limburg, despite being geographically closer to Belgium, were permanently added to the Netherlands. Because of the resulting eccentric location Maastricht was often more focused on Belgium and Germany than on the rest of the Netherlands, adding to the distinct non-Dutch character of the city.

Maastricht was the first Dutch city to be liberated by American forces in World War II.

In 1992, the Maastricht treaty was signed here, leading to the creation of the European Union.

External links

• City of Maastricht, official site (in Dutch)
• Universiteit Maastricht
• Bonnefanten Museum
• News Reports of Musketeer Skeletons found