Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Eijsden Margraten

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Country
  
Netherlands

Time zone
  
CET (UTC+1)

Elevation
  
56 m

Province
  
Limburg

Team
  
SNC '14

Established
  
1 January 2011

Postcode
  
6245–6269, 6307

Local time
  
Tuesday 5:20 PM

Area code
  
043

Eijsden-Margraten httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Website
  
www.eijsden-margraten.nl

Weather
  
10°C, Wind W at 14 km/h, 69% Humidity

2013 memorial day commemoration at eijsden margraten


Eijsden-Margraten ( pronunciation )( pronunciation ) (Limburgish: Èèsjde-Mergraote) is a municipality situated in the very south of the Netherlands. There it is located in the southeastern part of the province of Limburg.

Contents

Map of Margraten, Netherlands

This municipality was formed in 2011 from the former municipalities of Eijsden and Margraten, that both consisted of a number of separately situated villages. As a result, the nowadays Eijsden-Margraten municipality consists of 28 villages and townships, spread out over 15 administrative centres. As of 2011, it has a population of about 25,000.

Eijsden-Margraten is one of the most southerly municipalities in the Netherlands, for in its south it is extending up to the most southerly part of the border between the Netherlands and Belgium.

The Meuse river, coming from France and Belgium, at Eijsden enters its third and final flowing country, the Netherlands. From here on its name in Dutch is "Maas". Running northward to Eijsden-Margraten's west it locally forms the westerly frontier of the last mentioned country with Belgium.

A smaller stream, the Voer, coming from Belgium, drains into the Meuse river in this municipality, after having passed through a few of its villages.

Population centres

Of them Eijsden, Gronsveld, Mariadorp, Mesch, Oost-Maarland and Rijckholt are former parts of the Eijsden municipality, whereas the others are former parts of the Margraten municipality.

Apart from Mesch all former Eijsden villages are situated in the valley of the Meuse river, whereas Mesch and the former Margraten villages are on a highland called the "Margraten Plateau".

Economy

Main aspects of economical activity in the for a long time agricultural villages of this municipality are:

  • Fruit growing (apples, pears, prunes, cherries, strawberries).
  • Grain growing (wheat, barley, corn)
  • Cattle farming (milk cows, hen's eggs)
  • Some industry (mainly at Eijsden)
  • Tourism

    • Culture

    Essential elements of culture in this municipality's villages are:

  • Music (most places have their own brass-band and church chorus);
  • Religion (predominantly Roman Catholic);
  • Folklore (among others several citizen soldieries);
  • Carnival;
  • Sports, of which especially bicycle racing and soccer are most popular;
  • Art

    • Sights

  • Castles of Eijsden, Gronsveld, Mheer and Rijckholt
  • An ancient windmill at Bemelen and five ancient water mills on the Voer river.
  • Prehistoric flint mines at Rijckholt
  • The Mergellandroute, a tourist route through South Limburg, passes through several places in this municipality.

    • Persons

  • Jean Bessems (Cadier en Keer), biljards; worldchampion artistic in 1985 and 1988.
  • Eugene Dubois (1858–1940), (Eijsden), anthropology.
  • Pierre Lardinois (1924–1987), (Noorbeek), politics
  • Jo Maas, (Eijsden), cyclism
  • Fons van Wissen, (Margraten), soccer (30 caps)

    • Miscellaneous

  • In 2013, like in 2009, the brass-band "Koninklijke Harmonie Sainte Cécile)" from Eijsden was the winner in the World Concert Division of the fouryearly World Music Contest, a competition for professional, amateur and military bands, held in Kerkrade.

    • References

    Eijsden-Margraten Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA