Limburg (Netherlands)
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Template:Infobox Dutch Province
Limburg Template:Pronunciation is the southern-most of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands, located in the south-east of the country. Its capital is Maastricht. It is bordered by Belgium in the west, Germany in the east, and the provinces of North Brabant and Gelderland in the north.
Limburg has a highly distinct character. The social and economic trends which affected the province in recent decades generated a process of change and renewal which has enabled Limburg to transform the drawbacks of its national peripheral location into advantages inherent in its European settings, linking the Netherlands to Europe.
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History
Limburg got its name from the fortified castle known as Limbourg, situated on the small river Vesdre in the Ardennes, nowadays in the Belgian province of Liège. It was the seat of a medieval princedom which extended into the Meuse region north of Liège. After the Napoleonic era, the great powers (United Kingdom, Prussia, Austria-Hungary, Russia and France) united the region with the new Kingdom of the Netherlands, of which Belgium was also part. The first King, William I, gave the region the name of Limburg. After Belgium gained its independence in 1830, Limburg was split and divided between the two countries in 1839.
For centuries, Limburg's strategic location made it a much-coveted region among Europe's major powers. Romans, Spaniards, Prussians, Austrians and French have all ruled Limburg although Limburgians were always defiant. In 1673, Louis XIV, the Sun King, personally commanded the siege of Maastricht by French troops. During the siege, one of his brigadiers, Count Charles d'Artagnan, perished; he subsequently became known as a major character in The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas (1802–1870). Limburg was also the scene of many a bloody battle during the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648), in which the Netherlands threw off Spanish rule. At the battle of Mookerhei (14 April 1574), two brothers of Prince William of Orange-Nassau and thousands of "Dutch" mercenaries lost their lives. Most Limburgians fought on the Spanish side, being Catholics and hating the Dutch.
The Second World War cost the lives of many civilians in Limburg, and a large number of towns and villages were destroyed by bombings and artillery battles. Various cemeteries, too, bear witness to this dark chapter in Limburg's history. Almost eight and a half thousand U.S. soldiers who perished during the liberation of the Netherlands lie buried at the American Military Cemetery in Margraten. Other big war cemeteries are to be found at Overloon (British soldiers) and a cemetery was also constructed in Ysselsteyn in the Municipality of Venray for the 31 thousand German soldiers who lost their lives.
Politically, Limburg used to look like a patch quilt with many counties and other sorts of properties carving up the land. A result that can still be noticed today is that the inhabitants of each municipality speak their own, distinct language.
In 1814–1815, with the formation of the new Kingdom of the Netherlands, one of the new provinces was to receive the name Maastricht, after its capital. King William, who did not want the name Limburg to be lost, insisted that the name be changed to Limburg. As such, the name of the new province derived from the old duchy of Limburg that had existed until 1648 within the triangle Maastricht – Liège – Aachen.
When the Netherlands and Belgium separated in 1830, there was support for adding Limburg to Belgium, but in the end (1839) the province was divided in two, with the eastern part going to the Netherlands and the western part to Belgium. Dutch Limburg was from that moment on, as the Duchy Limburg, also part of the German Confederation.
The province used the title 'duchy' until 1906. Another idiosyncrasy survives today: the head of the province, referred to as the "Queen's Commissioner" in other provinces, is addressed as "Governor" in Limburg.
In December 1991 the European Community (nowadays European Union) held a summit in Maastricht. At that summit, the so-called Maastricht treaty was signed by the European Community member states. The original name for that treaty was "Treaty of the European Union". With that treaty, the European Union came into existence.
In 't Bronsgroen Eikenhout is the 'official' anthem of the region of Limburg, both in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Languages
Main article: Limburgish language
Limburg has its own language, called Limburgish (Dutch: Limburgs). This is, since 1997, an official regional language, and as such receives moderate protection under Chapter 2 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. It is not recognised by the Dutch, German and Belgian governments as an official language. Limburgish is spoken by an estimated 1,6 million people in both Belgian and Dutch Limburg and Germany. There are many different dialects in the Limburgish language. Almost every town and village has its own slightly different dialect. Dialects more toward the German border and in Germany (near Aachen for instance) have a more German influence, while dialects spoken in the Meuse (Dutch: Maas) valley have a more French tone to them. Even within the cities of Venlo and Maastricht, very different dialects separated by major isoglosses continue to exist. These distinctions have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. It also shows signs of Celtic substrates.
The local dialects are preserved thanks to the almost rabid efforts of the native speakers. For example, people from opposite sides of the Meuse within the same city of Maastricht will sometimes feign ignorance of one another's dialect; even going so far as pretending not to know Dutch, which is the official language of the province and the language used to teach in schools. Until the 20th century this was the case in a large part of Limburg. Many Limburgians feel that their language should be the official language and should be taught in schools. However, as long as the countries it is spoken in don't recognise it as an official language, this is not likely to happen apart from isolated lessons in and about the local dialect.
Besides the Limburgish language, all people speak Dutch and most also speak and understand French and German. As with all of the Netherlands, the majority of Limburgers also speak English with varying degrees of fluency.
Politics
The provincial council (Provinciale Staten) has 63 seats, and is headed by a Governor, rather than a Queen's Commissioner, currently Leon Frissen. While the provincial council is elected by the inhabitants, the Queen's Commissioner (Governor) is appointed by the Queen and the cabinet of the Netherlands. The Christian CDA is currently the largest party in the council.
The daily affairs of the province are taken care of by the Gedeputeerde Staten, which are also headed by the Queen's Commissioner (Governor); its members (gedeputeerden) can be compared with ministers.
Municipalities
Geography
The south of the province is remarkable when compared to the rest of the country, as it is one of the few regions that has hills. The highest point in the Netherlands, the Vaalserberg, is situated in Limburg.
The most important river is the Meuse, that passes through the entire length of the province from South to North. Limburg's surface is largely formed by deposits from this Meuse river, consisting of river clay, fertile loessial soil and large deposits of pebblestone, currently being quarried for the construction industry. In northern parts of the province, further away from the river bed, the soil primarily consists of sand and peat.
Major cities are the provincial capital Maastricht in the south, the urban agglomerations of Sittard-Geleen and Heerlen
Limburg makes up one region of the International Organization for Standardization world region code system, having the code ISO 3166-2:NL-LI.
Economy
In the past peat, gravel and coal were mined in Limburg. The state-owned corporation that used to mine in Limburg, DSM, is currently a major chemical company, still operating in Limburg. Automotive industry (Born) and production of copiers and printers (Océ in Venlo) are also present.
See also
Another major activity is production of "Weerter Vlaai", a pastry.
External links
- Official Website (in Dutch and English)
- Province map showing subdivision in municipalities, link for each municipality to basic data page
- The Maastricht Treaty
- Tourist information Limburg
Template:Footer Provinces of the Netherlandsaf:Limburg (Nederland) ca:Limburg (Països Baixos) da:Limburg (nederlandsk provins) de:Limburg (Niederlande) et:Limburgi provints es:Limburgo (Países Bajos) eo:Limburg (Nederlando) fr:Limbourg (Pays-Bas) fy:Limburch (Nederlân) ko:림뷔르흐 주 (네덜란드) id:Limburg (Belanda) it:Limburgo (Paesi Bassi) li:Nederlands Limburg nl:Limburg (Nederland) ja:リンブルグ州 (オランダ) pl:Limburgia (Holandia) ru:Лимбург (Нидерланды) fi:Limburg (Alankomaat) sv:Limburg (Nederländerna)