South Limburg
| province |
.svg){kind=small} Limburg
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Area - land - water |
660.56 km 2 649.8 km 2 10.76 km 2 |
| Residents | 597,505 (May 31, 2018) |
| Coordinates | 50 ° 49 ′ N , 5 ° 40 ′ E |
| Important traffic route |
              
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| prefix | 043, 045, 046 |
Zuid-Limburg ( German South Limburg ) is a region in the Dutch province of Limburg .
General
Zuid-Limburg is the southernmost part of the Province of Limburg, which also includes the regions of Noord-Limburg and Central-Limburg. The Zuid-Limburg region borders on Germany to the east and Belgium to the south and west. As the northern center of the border triangle of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium , the Euregio Meuse-Rhine , Zuid-Limburg shows considerable diversity in a small area. The region extends over an area of around 661 km 2 , roughly the area of Cologne and Düsseldorf together, and has 598,618 inhabitants. From the easternmost point, the city of Heerlen , to the westernmost point, the city of Maastricht , it is around 24 km. The north and south of the region are approximately 40 km apart. Zuid-Limburg borders only a few kilometers with the rest of the Netherlands and is otherwise surrounded by Germany and Belgium. The main river in the region is the Meuse . The largest and most famous cities in the region are Maastricht (the capital of the Limburg province), Heerlen, Sittard and Valkenburg .
history
In the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Limburg was divided between Spain and the United Netherlands . In 1713 the War of the Spanish Succession was ended in the Peace of Utrecht and the former Spanish Netherlands and with it the Duchy of Limburg fell to Austria. Later in history, the province of Limburg came to France in the Napoleonic Wars .
After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Limburg became part of the newly created Limburg Province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands .
After considering different names for the province, Willem I decided on the name Limburg, because after the northern and southern Netherlands were reunited, this naming should contribute to the memory of the seventeen provinces from the Burgundian-Habsburg period to obtain.
After the Belgian Revolution , the entire province, with the exception of Maastricht and the far north, was initially under Belgian ownership. Even after the ten-day campaign, the majority remained under Belgian control. Venlo was evacuated in the course of an armistice in 1833. As part of a final solution, the current border was determined by the London Protocol of 1839 and Limburg was thus divided into a Dutch and a Belgian province.
The newly founded Dutch province of Limburg was part of the German Confederation from 1839 to 1866 .
tourism
The Zuid-Limburg region is a popular holiday destination in the Netherlands and is particularly suitable for hiking and cycling. With a multitude of smaller and larger cities with a rich history and varied landscapes, the region is increasingly asserting itself among German tourists, who make up a large part of the foreign visitors. Germany is the most important region of origin for foreign tourists in the province. In 2008 around 44 percent of all foreign guests were German. According to the Statistical Office of the Netherlands ( CBS ), 65,000 German guests spent 105,300 nights in Zuid-Limburg in 2009.
The tourism sector is very important for Zuid-Limburg. As the first of the provinces, a tourism association (VVV) was founded here in 1885, which this year celebrated its 125th anniversary and is one of the oldest associations of its kind in Europe. In order to further expand its activities, the first German representative office was opened in Cologne in 2009, which is increasingly appealing to the German public with the slogan “Enjoy your life”.
Culinary
Due to its historical past and its geographical location, the mentality and cuisine in Zuid-Limburg are strongly influenced by Burgundy and thus stand out from the rest of the Netherlands.
Burgundian cuisine is substantial, spicy and has long been considered the measure when it comes to preparing a good dish. The use of wine, butter and cream is typical of French cuisine and the taste of these dishes is famous beyond the borders of France. Since Zuid-Limburg has been heavily influenced by the French through history, this influence is still evident today in the dishes of the region and Zuid-Limburg stands out in culinary terms from the dishes of the rest of the Netherlands.
In addition, the South Limburg cuisine shows great overlap with the Rhenish cuisine . A popular meat dish is zoervleisj (a type of sauerbraten , often served with french fries ). Asparagus is also popular and is eaten with potatoes, boiled eggs, ham, hollandaise sauce, and melted butter. Another regional specialty is Vlaai , a yeast pastry that is filled with fruit compote and pudding, among other things. Outwardly and in terms of taste, it has similarities with a rice cake , streusel or plum cake .
In the past, the Zuid-Limburg region was mainly used for agriculture. Nowadays the region is still known for its traditional products, including apple cabbage , smelly cheese and various (white) wines. The best known beer brands include Alfa , Brand and Gulpener . Fruit, especially apples , pears and sour cherries , is traditionally grown in semi-stem or high-stem plants.
activities
For the otherwise flat Netherlands, Zuid-Limburg has an extraordinary topography. The hilly area is the venue for the Amstel Gold Race every year, has hosted the road cycling world championship four times and numerous stages of important road races such as the Tour de France .
The tourist infrastructure includes a well-developed and signposted network of cycle paths that cover the entire region and have a total length of around 500 km, indoor swimming pools, thermal baths and an indoor ski hall. One of the official health resorts of the Netherlands, the city of Bad Valkenburg has a special position in the wellness sector and offers Kneipp cures , among other things . There are also several thermal baths in the area, which are particularly attractive for visitors from the border area.
literature
- Fritz Dickmann : The Peace of Westphalia . Aschendorff, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-402-05161-3
Web links
- Tourist board website (German, Dutch, English, French, Chinese)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek , accessed on July 1, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Central Statistics Office of the Netherlands
- ^ Official website VVV Zuid-Limburg