"Limburg" a Provincie Limburg Travel Page by OlafS

Limburg is my favourite province in The Netherlands. Why? Because it's so diverse. The northern part looks very familiar to some other parts of the country, but the further you go south the more Limburg becomes something different, almost exotic. Definitely very different from what I'm used to in the rest of The Netherlands. Of course there are many very different regions in the Netherlands, but the south of Limburg is the only one I have been to that makes me feel like I'm in a totally different country. That's it; Limburg doesn't only look different than what I'm used to, it feels different too!

When I was a child my parents took me and my brother to a place called Simpelveld for a week. It was an experience I would never forget. We stayed in a small bungalow on top of a hill. It must have been a true mountain to me back then, as I recall that the village appeared to be deep down below to me. Coming from the flat lands of the Betuwe area, this made a big impression. We also visited Valkenburg and Vaals and some other places in the south of the province. In 2003, some 25 year later, I returned to Simpelveld. this time with my wife and foster daughter. And once again I fell in love with this part of my country, even though that hill wasn't as high as I remembered it was.

The history of Limburg is so complicated that it takes a brain the size of a planet not only to write a good book about it, but also to understand that book. How come you can find places with French names lying next to places with German names? Why do these places have such names in the first place? Or even: why do places with such names belong to The Netherlands? It's a mystery to me but isn't it fascinating? Oh, and why are there so many castles? Why are some of these called 'chateau'? And why do international borders run right through cities and villages? Questions, questions, questions. I'll look up the answers ASAP. If I can be bothered, that is. Perhaps I shouldn't spoil the mystery to begin with. One thing is for sure; this region is at a crossroads of cultures.

Limburg has a few wonderful cities. Maastricht, Roermond, Sittard, all very nice. Further up north is Venlo, which isn't bad either. This page however is especially about the villages that are too small for pages of their own but that I like to mention anyway. Oh, and please forgive me my obsession for churches, Limburg just has some of the best in the Netherlands!