Maastricht: gateway city in southern Netherlands and capital of Limburg

Geographical location

Maastricht is located in the extreme southeast of the Netherlands, between Belgium and Germany, on both sides of the river Maas. The city centre is at an altitude of about 50 metres above Amsterdam level. The highest point (107 metres AP) is on the Sint Pietersberg in the southwest of the city, although the nearby man-made peak D'n Observant reaches 171 metres in height. The small river Jeker has also formed a valley in the southwest of the city between the Sint Pietersberg and the Cannerberg/Louwberg where some vineyards are located. On the Jeker are several water mills, also in the city centre, where the river divides several times and is only partially visible.

Maastricht borders both Flanders, which has the same language, and Wallonia, which has the same language. Maastricht's peripheral location within the Netherlands is noticeable in many places. Especially in the city centre, with its French-style shops, a strong French-speaking influence is noticeable. The Maastricht Platt spoken by many, like the other Limburg dialects, has much in common with German. It is not only since the Maastricht Treaty of the same name that people in Maastricht consider themselves to be on the "European balcony".

Neighboring communities

The city borders the Belgian municipalities of Lanaken and Riemst (province of Belgian Limburg) to the west, Visé (province of Liège) to the south and the Dutch municipalities of Meerssen, Valkenburg aan de Geul and Eijsden-Margraten to the east.

City breakdown

The city of Maastricht officially consists of seven districts (wijken), which are divided into 44 neighbourhoods (buurten):

1. Centrum district: Binnenstad, Jekerkwartier, Kommelkwartier, Statenkwartier, Boschstraatkwartier, Sint-Maartenspoort, Wyck
2. Southwest district: Villapark, Jekerdal, Biesland, Campagne, Wolder, Sint Pieter
3. Western district: Brusselsepoort, Mariaberg, Belfort, Pottenberg, Malpertuis, Caberg, Oud-Caberg, Malberg, Dousberg-Hazendans, Daalhof
4. Northwest district: Boschpoort, Bosscherveld, Frontenkwartier, Belvédère, Lanakerveld
5. Eastern district: Wyckerpoort, Heugemerveld, Wittevrouwenveld, Nazareth, Limmel, Scharn, Amby
6. North-eastern district: Beatrixhaven, Borgharen, Itteren, Meerssenhoven
7. Southeast district: Randwyck, Heugem, Heer, De Heeg, Vroendaal

In addition to the city of Maastricht, the municipality also includes the villages of Itteren (with about 915 inhabitants) and Borgharen (about 1,720 inhabitants), which are located to the north of it. The districts of Limmel, Amby, Heer, Heugem, Caberg, Wolder and Sint Pieter were also formerly independent villages. The centres of these villages have been partly preserved. The original inhabitants of Itteren, Borgharen, Amby and Heer speak a different dialect than those of downtown Maastricht.

Climate

Maastricht and the surrounding area belong to the temperate climate zone and have an oceanic climate, which means humid weather, mild winters and relatively balanced temperatures.

Shipping

The Meuse is an important river for bulk carriers. South of Maastricht it is connected to the Albert Canal via the canal and the locks of Lanaye (Ternaaien). North of the city, the Juliana Canal begins, which runs parallel to the Maas, which is not navigable there. The industrial harbour of Maastricht is the Beatrix harbour, which lies on the Juliana canal. The Maastricht part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart is of little importance for shipping nowadays. Various excursion ships are moored at the Maas quay in the city centre.

The former historic port of Maastricht has been converted into a marina (basin), which can be reached via the Zuid-Willemsvaart or via a lock to the Maas. Other former harbour basins are occupied by residential boats or are no longer in use. Another lock connects these former harbour parts at the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal with the Maas. Part of the former St Pieter lock is used as a marina. There, the former berths for commercial shipping are largely silted up and shallow. Other marinas can be found both in the city area and on the surrounding Plassen.

Rail and bus transport

Maastricht railway station (Maastricht Station) is connected by rail to Eindhoven and Venlo via Sittard and Roermond and to Liège (Liège-Maastricht railway line); via Heerlen also to Aachen (→ Liège-Maastricht-Aachen-Express). In addition, a bus line runs between Maastricht Central Station and Aachen Central Station. East of Maastricht Central Station is the long-distance bus station. Maastricht Randwyck station is located in the southern district of Randwyck; Maastricht Noord station is located in the north.

Light rail traffic

On 18 December 2012, the city council of Maastricht decided that the transnational project "Tramverbinding Vlaanderen-Maastricht" will be implemented. This is a connection of the centres of Hasselt in Belgium and Maastricht. Between the cities, it will perform the same tasks as the Euregiobahn in Aachen, and within the cities it will run right into the city centre. The largest part of the line is on Belgian territory. This part is part of the 300 million Spartacus plan, which is intended to bring a number of improvements to regional transport in Belgian Limburg.

For the city of Maastricht, two stations are planned (in the newly developing Sphinx Quarter and at the current bus stop "Mosae Forum"). On the Belgian side, a total of nine stations are planned. A planning approval procedure has been carried out and all preparations are underway. The execution of the necessary works is expected to take about three years. According to current plans, construction work is to begin in 2020. If everything goes according to plan, the first light rail will roll through Maastricht and Hasselt in 2023.

Road traffic

The A2 motorway running east of the Meuse connects Maastricht with Amsterdam and Liège, the A79 with Heerlen and further via the A76 / A 4 (D) with Aachen. A part of the A2 route east of the old city was not yet a motorway (N2) for a distance of about 1.5 km until the end of 2016. This stretch was upgraded to intersection-free by the King Willem Alexander Tunnel, which should bring about a solution to the daily traffic problems.

Air traffic

About ten kilometres north of the city centre is the international but small Maastricht Aachen Airport. It is also home to Eurocontrol's Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (Maastricht UAC), from where the upper flight corridors of north-west Germany, the Benelux countries and northern France are monitored.