LIMBURG - Geography and history
Limburg is named after the Limbourg castle, situated along the river Vesdre in the Ardennes. After the Napoleonic era the region became part of the new Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1839 Belgium became independent and the region was divided in two, with Belgium and the Netherlands both having a province of Limburg.
Dutch Limburg is the Netherlands' southernmost province. It is bounded on the east by the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and on the west and south by the Belgian provinces of Limburg and Liège. Its capital, Maastricht, is bisected by the river Meuse and has its origins in prehistoric times. Later, in approximately 50 AD, the Romans founded a settlement here, at a point along a major trade route where it was easy to cross the Meuse.
Limburg is a medium-sized Dutch province. In 2000 it had a surface area of 220 922 hectares, 61% being used for agriculture, 19% for nature conservation and recreation, 14% for housing and industry and 4% for traffic infrastructure. The rest, 3%, is water.
The varied landscape was shaped partly by the Meuse, which flows through the province from south to north. In the south one finds the Limburg downs, formed by melt water at the end of the last ice age and made of loess and marl. In the north the most common kinds of soil are sand and river clay. Limburg has a temperate maritime climate with a certain amount of continental influence. In the Maastricht area the temperature in the nineties averaged 10.28 degrees centigrade, with 1 542 hours of sunshine and 791.34 mm of precipitation.
From a marginal to a central position
Until the 1960s Limburg was a peripheral region where the main economic activity was coal mining. When the coal industry shut down, Limburg was faced with mass unemployment and the physical remains of the collieries, often in the middle of major centres of population. Large-scale restructuring programmes drawn up by the national and provincial governments have removed almost every trace of the coal industry. In the south-eastern part of Limburg, however, restructuring is not yet complete and national and European regional policy measures are continuing.
Thanks to its international position, good infrastructure, pleasant living and working environment and the presence of reputable centres of learning, Limburg has been able to develop into an attractive business location. Today it also benefits from its proximity to major population centres such as the Amsterdam/Rotterdam conurbation, the German Ruhrgebiet and Brussels.
Varied and attractive
Limburg is a Dutch province with a distinct identity due to its long-standing Catholic traditions and its local dialects. In terms of both landscape and economic activity, the province falls into two parts. The relatively flat north, which is less densely populated, is largely rural; the south, the traditional mining area, is heavily urbanised. After the closing of the coal mines, the south developed new manufacturing and service activities. Additionally, its hills have always made it a popular tourist destination.
The provincial capital, Maastricht, has a historic town centre and an international outlook. It has become a popular place for shopping and entertainment. Many Germans and Belgians visit the town every week. Maastricht University draws students from all over the Netherlands. The Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre (MECC) and University Hospital Maastricht (azM) are known across the borders.
Agriculture is more important in the north and centre of the province, which have retained their rural character. Here, many years of gravel extraction from the Meuse have resulted in large expanses of water that offer good boating and other water sports facilities. Overall the tourist sector is becoming more important in these areas. The town of Venlo in North Limburg is known for its logistics services industry.
|
|