Maastricht travel guide

In Maastricht, the capital of southern province of Limburg, life better than anywhere else, say (not only) the locals. That is the advertising slogan of the city: Maastricht, dat gun je jezelf ("You must treat yourself to Maastricht").

The fun-loving, lively city at the foot of Sint-Pietersberg has an almost Burgundian face, and its 120,000 predominantly Catholic residents are different from the rest of the Dutch. You'll notice it in the language, for here they speak their own dialect, which is indeed full of German words, which doesn't make it any easier to understand.

The ancient fortress city has had a turbulent history: Already about 50 BC, Roman traders were established at the river that gives the city its name. By 380 AD, Bishop Servatius moved his seat from Tongeren to Maastricht. Throughout history, the pearl in the south of the Netherlands belonged to the realms of the Dukes of Brabant, the Spaniards, the House of Orange, the French, and the Belgians.