|
|
|
Maastricht - Culture |
|
Fashion, patisserie and antiques are particularly plentiful. The sophisticated shop windows in the Stokstraat area are the height of temptation. The sunny lifestyle of the people of Maastricht is infectious. Maastricht sparkles! Restaurants, bars and pavement cafes around. Nowhere in the Netherlands will you find such a choice of culinary delights within such a small radius. In Maastricht, students and scholars alike can meet colleagues from all over the world, and enjoy first-class research facilities, like the University of Limburg libraries and the Maastricht Archives. Combined with its central location and proximity to many leading European universities, this helps make Maastricht a haven for teaching and learning. The post-war years have seen the restoration of the city's historic centre, and a great expansion of trade and industry. The city is now home to the University of Limburg and at least six other educational institutions. Maastricht has begun to capitalize upon its history by emphasizing its international character and its location in the heart of Europe. In 1981 the city hosted the summit meeting of the EEC heads of state, and in 1991 the Treaty of Maastricht was negotiated and signed in the city. The creation of the EuroRegion centered on the cities of Aachen, Cologne, Liège, and Maastricht is a further sign that Maastricht is slowly ceasing to be a city on the frontier between two powers and is returning to the central European location it occupied during the reign of Charlemagne.
|
Limburg, the narrow, Southeastern province that is wedged between Belgium and Germany. This is where there are rolling hills, caves and castles. Where Romans ruled for more than four centuries. It is where the Dutch go sightseeing and where Latin ancestry and cross-border influences make the people different from their Northern compatriots. Here, white asparagus are harvested in May, and grapes in the Fall and they eat a cheese that's called "rommedoe", which rhymes with shoe and, some say, smells like an old one.
The capital of this province is Maastricht, a city, steeped in history that has preserved much of the architectural evidence of that past. Maastricht is a congress city of international standing. Maastricht also has a reputation as a city of culture. The annual art and antiques fair The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) is world famous. The oldest city in The Netherlands, Maastricht's fascinating history places it in the
cent
