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Maastricht
KNOWLEDGE OF Maastricht
Maastricht (Limburgish and city dialect: Mestreech; French: Maestricht) is a municipality, and capital of the province of Limburg. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river (Maas in Dutch) in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands between Belgium and Germany. The name of city is derived from its Latin name Trajectum Ad Mosam (Meuse-crossing), referring to the bridge built by the Romans under the reign of Augustus Caesar.
For years, the city has been in a debate with Nijmegen over being the oldest city of the Netherlands. Nijmegen was the first city with Roman city rights in what is now the Netherlands. Maastricht was the first with Medieval city rights, a system which evolved to the current system and, thanks to the Romans, the first settlement with city allure.
However, Maastricht was without a doubt the first settlement in the Netherlands. Roman sources mention a Celtic (probably inhabited by the Eburones ) settlement at the location they used for the bridge. Other sources mention a Celtic settlement at a rivercrossing near where now Wyck is located.
Institutions located in Maastricht include the Universiteit Maastricht (Maastricht University), the Administration of the Dutch province of Limburg and the Bonnefanten Museum of art. Other large employers include ENCI (First Dutch Cement Industry) Vodafone, Mercedes-Benz, Sappi and Pie Medical.
To the south of the city is the hill of St. Pietersberg which has an old fort and a network of caves within. The caves maintain a constant temperature of 10°C and are a hibernation place for bats. Mushrooms are grown in the caves as well. It is possible to visit the caves at certain times by guided tour. The caves were formed by digging out the Marl that was used to build houses. This led to a very extensive network of caves that one could easily get lost in. Or hide in. As was done often, most recently during the second world war. Some people who stayed there for a long time made charcoal wall paintings, some of which are genuine pieces of art. Later the marl was used by ENCI to make cement. In the process a large chunk was removed from one side of the hill. The unused material was used to make a new hill, d'n Observant, and there is talk to turn the hole into a watersports recreation area.
In the process of carving out the marl, fossils were found, most notably one of a mosasaur in 1780 (which, contrary to popular belief, was not a dinosaur). That was before any dinosaur fossils were found and the find was so famous it led to naming a 6-million-year epoch after the city: the Maastrichtian.
A railway passes through Maastricht that runs south to Liege, Belgium and north into the rest of the Netherlands, where it has a branch to Heerlen. The railway line to Hasselt is no longer in use, although plans exist to restore it. Maastricht is served by the Maastricht Aachen Airport. By car, Maastricht can be reached within an hour from Brussels and in 2 to 3 hours from Amsterdam.
Carnival is celebrated almost exclusively in the south of the Netherlands and most notably in Maastricht, where not only does the whole city turn into one big party centre during the three days before lent, but there is also a special flag! The three day rule is traditionally strictly followed, with the 'Mooswief' (a bigger-than life puppet representing a market woman) being raised in the Vrijthof midday Sunday and lowered at midnight Tuesday to mark the beginning and the end of the festivities. However, Carnival has wide popularity, and its 'discovery' by Northerners (which causes some friction and joking) means that if you see people dressed up on Saturday you'll know they're not locals. The music used to be strictly in dialect (each year a new song, along with a 'Prince' who is in charge for the three days, is elected), but other types of party music are now around a great deal more. That said, the Carnival song is everywhere, not in the least by the (in)famous zaate herremeniekes ('drunken brass bands') which often still perform surprisingly well. Many locals save up all year for this, the biggest party and definite highlight of the year, and the costumes can be very elaborate. They're usually not meant to be as flashy as in Rio de Janeiro, but just old rags turned into a joke costume. However, a lot of work is often put into them and they can still be an impressive sight. While sometimes political, these costumes are more often than not simply absurd. Like elsewhere, there are parades, though they are not the focus of the party. It's more about bringing the streets to life by partying. It is said some people don't return home and live in the streets for three days. On Wednesday the costumes are gone, but Lent is put off just a little longer with the traditional eating of raw herrings, accompanied with a free beer (or is that the other way around?). After carnival, one is supposed to fast for 40 days until easter (which is the original excuse for the partying), but hardly anyone does that anymore, a substitute sometimes being to give up a bad habit or two.
For years, the city has been in a debate with Nijmegen over being the oldest city of the Netherlands. Nijmegen was the first city with Roman city rights in what is now the Netherlands. Maastricht was the first with Medieval city rights, a system which evolved to the current system and, thanks to the Romans, the first settlement with city allure.
However, Maastricht was without a doubt the first settlement in the Netherlands. Roman sources mention a Celtic (probably inhabited by the Eburones ) settlement at the location they used for the bridge. Other sources mention a Celtic settlement at a rivercrossing near where now Wyck is located.
Institutions located in Maastricht include the Universiteit Maastricht (Maastricht University), the Administration of the Dutch province of Limburg and the Bonnefanten Museum of art. Other large employers include ENCI (First Dutch Cement Industry) Vodafone, Mercedes-Benz, Sappi and Pie Medical.
To the south of the city is the hill of St. Pietersberg which has an old fort and a network of caves within. The caves maintain a constant temperature of 10°C and are a hibernation place for bats. Mushrooms are grown in the caves as well. It is possible to visit the caves at certain times by guided tour. The caves were formed by digging out the Marl that was used to build houses. This led to a very extensive network of caves that one could easily get lost in. Or hide in. As was done often, most recently during the second world war. Some people who stayed there for a long time made charcoal wall paintings, some of which are genuine pieces of art. Later the marl was used by ENCI to make cement. In the process a large chunk was removed from one side of the hill. The unused material was used to make a new hill, d'n Observant, and there is talk to turn the hole into a watersports recreation area.
In the process of carving out the marl, fossils were found, most notably one of a mosasaur in 1780 (which, contrary to popular belief, was not a dinosaur). That was before any dinosaur fossils were found and the find was so famous it led to naming a 6-million-year epoch after the city: the Maastrichtian.
A railway passes through Maastricht that runs south to Liege, Belgium and north into the rest of the Netherlands, where it has a branch to Heerlen. The railway line to Hasselt is no longer in use, although plans exist to restore it. Maastricht is served by the Maastricht Aachen Airport. By car, Maastricht can be reached within an hour from Brussels and in 2 to 3 hours from Amsterdam.
Carnival is celebrated almost exclusively in the south of the Netherlands and most notably in Maastricht, where not only does the whole city turn into one big party centre during the three days before lent, but there is also a special flag! The three day rule is traditionally strictly followed, with the 'Mooswief' (a bigger-than life puppet representing a market woman) being raised in the Vrijthof midday Sunday and lowered at midnight Tuesday to mark the beginning and the end of the festivities. However, Carnival has wide popularity, and its 'discovery' by Northerners (which causes some friction and joking) means that if you see people dressed up on Saturday you'll know they're not locals. The music used to be strictly in dialect (each year a new song, along with a 'Prince' who is in charge for the three days, is elected), but other types of party music are now around a great deal more. That said, the Carnival song is everywhere, not in the least by the (in)famous zaate herremeniekes ('drunken brass bands') which often still perform surprisingly well. Many locals save up all year for this, the biggest party and definite highlight of the year, and the costumes can be very elaborate. They're usually not meant to be as flashy as in Rio de Janeiro, but just old rags turned into a joke costume. However, a lot of work is often put into them and they can still be an impressive sight. While sometimes political, these costumes are more often than not simply absurd. Like elsewhere, there are parades, though they are not the focus of the party. It's more about bringing the streets to life by partying. It is said some people don't return home and live in the streets for three days. On Wednesday the costumes are gone, but Lent is put off just a little longer with the traditional eating of raw herrings, accompanied with a free beer (or is that the other way around?). After carnival, one is supposed to fast for 40 days until easter (which is the original excuse for the partying), but hardly anyone does that anymore, a substitute sometimes being to give up a bad habit or two.
Chapi