Introduction
186km (115 miles) SE of Amsterdam; 70km (43 miles) SE of Eindhoven
An exuberant center of history, culture, and hospitality, Maastricht (pop. 118,000) is a city of cafes and churches, and it's hard to tell which of these has the upper hand. Maastricht is generally reckoned to be Holland's most user-friendly city, blessed with a quality of life the northerners can't match. In between eating, drinking, church going, stepping out for Carnival, and hanging onto their rich heritage, the citizens of Maastricht have created a modern, prosperous, and vibrant city. Discovering how they do it all can be quite an education.
The capital of Limburg province -- its name is Mestreech in the local Limburgs (Limburgish) language -- owes its name and existence to the Maas River and repays the debt with a handsome riverfront. The city traces its roots back to the Roman settlement of Mosae Trajectam, founded in 50 B.C. at a strategic bridge across the Maas at the foot of Sint-Pietersberg (Mt....
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Sint-Servaasbasiliek (Basilica of St. Servatius)
The oldest parts of this majestic medieval cruciform church with its rich, glittering interior date from the year 1000. St. Servatius, Maastricht's...
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Onze-Lieve-Vrouwbasiliek (Basilica of Our Lady)
The west wing and crypts of this medieval Romanesque cruciform structure date from the 11th century, and there's evidence of an earlier church...
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Bonnefantenmuseum
Designed by Italian architect Aldo Rossi, the riverside museum (1995), is instantly recognizable even amid the relentlessly modern architecture...
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- Museums
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