Euregio Meuse-Rhine

Map of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (Dutch names). In shades of green parts of Belgium, blue of the Netherlands and red of Germany

The Euregio Maas-Rhein ( French Eurégion Meuse-Rhin , Dutch Euregio Maas-Rijn ) is the European region in the common border area of Belgium , Germany and the Netherlands around the cities of Aachen , Liège and Maastricht (French Aix-la-Chapelle, Liège and Maastricht , ndl. Aken, Luik and Maastricht).

In the north it borders on the Euregio Rhine-Maas-Nord , in the east on the Cologne-Bonn region and in the south on the Saar-Lor-Lux region . The Euregio Meuse-Rhine covers an area of around 11,000 square kilometers and has almost four million inhabitants.

history

Headquarters of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine in Eupen

The Euregio Meuse-Rhine was founded in 1976 as a working group and in 1991 was given the legal form of a foundation (French fondation , Dutch Stichting ) under Dutch law. For a long time it was based in the Provinciehuis in the Dutch province of Limburg in Maastricht . Since January 1st 2007 it has been based in Eupen, Belgium .

Work area

The Euregio Meuse-Rhine consists of:

the Belgian province of Limburg ,
the southern part of the Dutch province of Limburg ,
the Belgian province of Liège ,
of the German-speaking Community of Belgium
of the Aachen region

Aachen region

Aachen region with embedded city region Aachen

The Aachen region as the German part of the Euregio Maas-Rhein consists of the city of Aachen , the city region of Aachen , the district of Düren , the district of Euskirchen and the district of Heinsberg with a total area of around 3500 km² and around 1.3 million inhabitants in 46 cities and communities. It covers the western half of the Cologne administrative region and coincides with the former Aachen administrative region with the exception of the communities of Niederkrüchten and Elmpt , plus the old district of Euskirchen. Other historical territories, of which the region forms the core area, are the Rur department on the one hand and the Duchy of Jülich with the Free Imperial City of Aachen, the Burtscheid Imperial Abbey and the Kornelimünster Imperial Abbey on the other ; The Carolingian Gaue Rurgau , Jülichgau and the western Mühlgau were also located here . In 1981, the Aachen region first founded the registered association "Regio Aachen eV" This was in 2012 by the administration union "Aachen" as successors replaced. »The“ new ”Regio Aachen should no longer“ only ”limit itself to promoting cross-border cooperation in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, but rather act as a“ political-strategic platform ”in and for the region. This should include the supraregional marketing of the region, the bundling of forces in supraregional interdependencies such as the metropolitan region or the innovation region Rheinisches Revier or the coordination of the acquisition of Interreg funds. A great abundance of new responsibilities. «, So the Aachener Zeitung in advance. Geographically, the Aachen region as the westernmost region of Germany lies on the transition from the North Eifel and Hohem Venn in the south to the Jülich Börde in the north and is almost congruent with the catchment area of the Rur .

Other names used for the region Aachen Aachen , Aachen-Düren or western Rhineland . It largely agrees with the area of the regional business development agency Aachener Gesellschaft für Innovation und Technologietransfer (AGIT mbH), the areas of the Aachen Chamber of Crafts and the Aachen Chamber of Commerce , the districts of the Aachen regional court , the assigned local courts and the neighboring local courts of Erkelenz and Euskirchen , the area of the District police authorities Aachen, Düren, Euskirchen and Heinsberg, the core area of the diocese Aachen , the Protestant church districts Jülich and Aachen, the western part of the Ripuarian language area, the area of the lower forest authority Rureifel-Jülich Börde and the area of the water association Eifel-Rur . The Aachen coal mining area (between Hückelhoven , Kohlscheid , Eschweiler and Siersdorf ) and the Rurschiene (from Linnich via Jülich and Düren to Kreuzau ) should be mentioned as coherent economic areas in the Aachen region .

Municipalities

The following cities and municipalities are located in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (selection):

in the German city region of Aachen : Aachen , Alsdorf , Baesweiler , Eschweiler , Herzogenrath , Monschau , Roetgen , Simmerath , Stolberg (Rhld.) , Würselen ;
in the German district of Düren : Aldenhoven , Düren , Heimbach , Jülich , Langerwehe , Linnich , Nörvenich ;
in the German district of Heinsberg : Erkelenz , Gangelt , Geilenkirchen , Heinsberg , Hückelhoven , Selfkant , Übach-Palenberg , Waldfeucht , Wassenberg , Wegberg ;
in the German district of Euskirchen : Bad Münstereifel , Euskirchen , Hellenthal , Schleiden , Weilerswist , Zülpich ;
in Belgium's German-speaking Community : Amel , Büllingen , Bütgenbach , Burg-Reuland , Eupen , Kelmis , Lontzen , Raeren , Sankt Vith ;
in Belgium's Walloon Province of Liège (Province de Liège) : Aubel , Baelen , Bassenge , Dison , Herstal , Herve , Huy , Limbourg , Liège , Malmedy , Olne , Pepinster , Plombières , Seraing , Soumagne , Spa , Thimister-Clermont , Verviers , Visé , Waimes , Welkenraedt
in Belgium's Flemish province of Limburg (Provincie Limburg) : Bilzen , Genk , Hasselt , Maaseik , Maasmechelen , Sint-Truiden , Tongeren , Voeren ;
in the southern part of the Dutch province of Limburg: Brunssum , Echt , Eijsden , Gulpen , Heerlen , Kerkrade , Landgraaf , Maastricht , Roermond , Sittard-Geleen , Vaals .

Travel in the Euregio

The Euregio-Ticket , a day ticket for one person, is available for travel on many regional trains and all public buses (one additional adult and up to three children can be taken along on weekends and public holidays). The ticket is valid

in the Belgian provinces of Limburg and Liège,
in the Dutch province of Limburg (southern part to Echt and the city of Roermond),
in the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV) and in the Euskirchen district on the routes of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS).

literature

Almut Kriele: It's incredibly colorful here! The Euregio Meuse-Rhine takes advantage of its diversity. Shaker, Aachen 2005, ISBN 3-8322-4460-3 .
Johanna Kamermans: Euregio Carolus Magnus - borders in flux. Interesting, historical and curious facts about the city triangle Maastricht - Aachen - Liège. Mainz, Aachen 2004, ISBN 3-86130-391-4 .
Almut Kriele: Borders make this region exciting. On the political understanding of the actors in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. In: Kriele, Lesse, Richter (ed.): Political action in transnational spaces. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2005, ISBN 3-8329-1487-0 , pp. 79-96.
Rolf Purpar: Euregio - land between the Meuse and the Rhine. Meyer and Meyer, Aachen 1989, ISBN 3-89124-063-5 .

Web links

Website of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine
X-border project Plannen en bouwen (cross-border geodata portal for the Euregio Meuse-Rhine)

Individual evidence

↑ Aachen region. In: About us date = 2018. Accessed July 31, 2019 .
↑ udo / hjd: Aachen region founded: Start with scratches. In: Aachener Zeitung . December 3, 2012, accessed July 31, 2019 .
^ The Aachen region as part of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine
^ Hermann-Josef Delonge: Structural reform should strengthen the region for the future. In: Aachener Zeitung . December 15, 2011, accessed July 31, 2019 .

[1] Aachen region. In: About us date = 2018. Accessed July 31, 2019 .

[2] udo / hjd: Aachen region founded: Start with scratches. In: Aachener Zeitung . December 3, 2012, accessed July 31, 2019 .

[3] The Aachen region as part of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine

[4] Hermann-Josef Delonge: Structural reform should strengthen the region for the future. In: Aachener Zeitung . December 15, 2011, accessed July 31, 2019 .