Maastricht - City of Netherlands

Maastricht city and a municipality in the Dutch province of Limburg, of which it is the capital. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, near the Belgian and German borders. The city is part of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, a Euregio whose other main cities include Aachen, Germany and Hasselt and Liège in respectively Dutch-speaking and French-speaking Belgium.

Nowadays, Maastricht is widely known as a centre of tradition, history and culture, and popular with tourists for shopping and recreation. It is the location for various educational, with some partial to fully anglophone, establishments including the Maastricht University, the Maastricht School of Management, parts of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and starting August 2009 a United World College. Consequently the city has a large international student population.

Paleolithic remains have been found to the west of Maastricht, between 8,000 and 25,000 years old. Celts lived here at least 500 years before the Romans came, at a spot where the river Meuse was shallow and therefore easy to cross. The Romans later built a bridge and a large road to connect the capitals of the Nervians and Tungri, Bavay and Tongeren, with the capital of the Ubians, Cologne.

In the early Middle Ages Maastricht was part of the heartland of the Carolingian Empire. It later developed into a city of dual authority, a condominium, with both the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the Duchy of Brabant holding joint sovereignty over the city. It received city rights in 1204.

The role of the Dukes was occupied by the Dutch States General from 1632 onwards when the city was taken from the Spanish by Frederik Hendrik. The important strategic location of Maastricht in the Dutch Republic resulted in an impressive array of fortifications around the city.

The city did not escape World War II: it was quickly taken by the Germans on May 10, 1940 during the Battle of Maastricht, but on September 14, 1944, Maastricht was the first Dutch city to be liberated by allied forces.

The latter half of the century saw a decline of the traditional industries and a shift to more services-oriented economy. Maastricht University was founded in 1976. In 1992, the Maastricht treaty was negotiated and signed here, leading to the creation of the European Union and the Euro.

In recent years, several international conferences were held in Maastricht, like the OSCE-summit in 2003, and several other gatherings during the Dutch chairmanship of the European Union in 2004.

Under current mayor Gerd Leers, Maastricht has launched a campaign against various drug-related problems. The popular and often-praised Leers instigated a controversial plan to move several of the coffee shops - where soft drugs can be purchased in limited quantities - from the center to locations on the outskirts of Maastricht, in a bid to stop buyers from entering the city and causing trouble.

Carnival - a traditional 3-day festival in the southern part of the Netherlands.
11de van de 11de - the official start of the carnival season.
KunstTour - an annual art festival.
Amstel Gold Race - an annual large international cycling race with start in Maastricht.
TEFAF - The European Fine Art Fair is the world's leading art and antiques fair.
Preuvenemint - a large culinary event held on the Vrijthof square.
Winterland - a winter-themed fun fair and Christmas market held on the Vrijthof square.
Inkom - the traditional opening of the academic year and introduction for new students of Maastricht University.
Maastrichts Mooiste - an annual running and walking event.
Jazz Maastricht - a jazz festival formerly known as Jeker Jazz.
Jumping Indoor Maastricht - an international concours hippique.
André Rieu Vrijthof concerts- the famous Maastricht violin player and orchestra director André Rieu traditionally gives a series of concerts on Vrijthof square.
Furthermore, the Maastricht Exposition and Congress Centre hosts many events throughout the year.