"Limbourgeois at its best" a Maastricht Travel Page by Imaniac

Maastricht is the oldest city in The Netherlands (together with Nijmegen). After some prehistoric settlements, it was first made into a real city by the Romans. They created a city called Mosae Trajectum at the spot where their main road and the river Maas crossed paths. Ever since Maastricht has been an important city.

After the Romans left, Maastricht was mainly an important city for the Christians. St Servatius moved to Maastricht in the 4th century and became a bisshop there. Shortly after his death in 384, a church was built on top of his grave. This was the start of Maastricht as we know it.

In the Middle Ages, Maastricht has been under control of the Spanish and the French, amongst others. To protect themselves against more attacks, the people of Maastricht erected several city walls and other defense systems like the casemates. These monuments can still be seen today.

Then in the 19th century Maastricht also had a blossoming industrial life, especially the ceramics, glass and paper industry.

In 1992 Maastricht put itself on the map once again with the birth of the Euro. The city was the host of several meetings of the European Union. This was also where the famous Maastricht Treaty was created. In July 2004, shortly after the new EU members are inaugrated, Maastricht will once again be the host of numerous EU events.