Maastricht

Maastricht is one of the oldest cities of the Netherlands in Northern Central Europe. The city of Maastricht is located on the banks of the river Maas in the continental south part of the Netherlands, close to the borders of Germany and Belgium. The city is full of history, beautiful buildings and numberless restaurants, cafés, shops and galleries. Maastricht is known also with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, that created the European Union. Maastricht was founded in the year 50 B.C. by the Romans, that had and a fort near by. After may ups and downs by 1229 the city had its first outer walls built. Later at the beginning of the 14th century construction work on a new series of walls was commenced, as the city was important strategically, and had to withstand many attacks during its history. The center of the city, split in two by the river Maas, is especially attractive, due to its wealth of historic buildings; with some 1450 monuments protected by the law. Care is taken that both new and renovated buildings maintain the period atmosphere of their surroundings. Because of its heritage value, the whole of Maastricht city center has been declared a 'protected area'. When visiting Maastricht you will have enormous choice of beautiful buildings and museums to visit, the biggest collection of cafés and restaurants and on the other hand the opportunity to take it easy and just relax. Much depends and on the time of your visit as Maastricht is the home of the biggest 3-day carnival in the Netherlands, and this makes it one very busy place for a week or so each year. Major landmarks of Maastricht are the main square (Vrijthof) or the Market, the Céramique district, the beautiful Basilica of Saint Servatius, Basilica of Our Beloved Lady, O.L. Vrouweplein or the famous 'St. Pietersberg' caves, which are the result of centuries of excavation of building stone, resulting in an enormous labyrinth of more than 20,000 passages. Of course, there are many opportunities to just relax, shop in one of many small streets with nice tourist shops and little pubs. No other Dutch city has so many bars per square kilometer! And don't forget - there are tons more of attractions, activities and interesting places to see in the city of Maastricht, visit them and write here at HolidayStreets.com about their beauty and mystery!