Maastricht
Maastricht (/ˈmɑːstrɪxt/ MAH-strikht, US also /mɑːˈstrɪxt/ mah-STRIKHT, Dutch: [maːˈstrɪxt] ⓘ; Limburgish: Mestreech [məˈstʀeːx]; French: Maestricht (archaic); Spanish: Mastrique (archaic)) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the Meuse (Dutch: Maas), at the point where the Jeker joins it. Mount Saint Peter (Sint-Pietersberg) is largely situated within the city's municipal borders. Maastricht is adjacent to the border with Belgium and is part of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, an international metropolis with a population of about 3.9 million, which includes the nearby German and Belgian cities of Aachen, Liège, and Hasselt.
Maastricht
| |
|---|---|
City and municipality | |
River Meuse in winter Maastricht City Hall at night Sidewalk cafés at Onze Lieve Vrouweplein Our Lady, Star of the Sea chapel St. John's and St. Servatius' churches at Vrijthof square View from Mount Saint Peter | |
| Anthem: Mestreechs Volksleed | |
Location in Limburg | |
Maastricht Location within the Netherlands Maastricht Location within Europe | |
| Coordinates: 50°51′N 5°41′E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Limburg |
| Settled | ≈ circa 50 AD |
| City rights | gradually acquired |
| City Hall | Maastricht City Hall |
| Boroughs | 7 districts
|
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Wim Hillenaar (CDA) |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 60.12 km2 (23.21 sq mi) |
| • Land | 55.99 km2 (21.62 sq mi) |
| • Water | 4.13 km2 (1.59 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 49 m (161 ft) |
| Population (Municipality, January 2021; Urban and Metro, May 2014) | |
| • Municipality | 120,227 |
| • Density | 2,147/km2 (5,560/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 277,721 |
| • Metro | ≈ 3,500,000 |
| Urban population for Dutch-Belgian region; metropolitan population for Dutch-Belgian-German region. | |
| Demonyms | (Dutch) Maastrichtenaar; (Limb.) Mestreechteneer or "Sjeng" (nickname) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 6200–6229 |
| Area code | 043 |
| Website | www |
Maastricht developed from a Roman settlement (Trajectum ad Mosam) to a medieval river trade and religious centre. In the 16th century it became a garrison town and in the 19th century an early industrial centre. Today, the city is a thriving cultural and regional hub. It became well known through the Maastricht Treaty and as the birthplace of the euro. Maastricht has 1,677 national heritage buildings (rijksmonumenten), the second highest number in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam. The city is visited by tourists for shopping and recreation, and has a large international student population.