Maastricht

Maastricht: history & character

Maastricht is the oldest city in the Netherlands, founded by the Romans in the 1st century AD as 'Mosae Trajectum' (the crossing on the Meuse). A free imperial city in the Middle Ages, fortified by Vauban in the 17th century, and the signature site of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty that created the European Union — it's also the Burgundian cultural capital of Limburg. The compact medieval centre, ringed by largely intact walls (Helpoort, Hoge Fronten), centres on the Vrijthof and the Sint-Servaasbasiliek. For travellers with a dog, Maastricht is one of Europe's most accessible cities: walkable centre crossable end-to-end in 20 min, Burgundian café culture welcoming leashed dogs by default, the Sint-Pietersberg forest hill directly south of the centre with 8 km of off-leash trails, 22 fenced municipal losloopgebieden, and a triple-frontier access unique in Europe (Belgium 5 km, Germany 25 km).