Valkenburg aan de Geul
Encyclopedia
Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality
in the southeastern Netherlands
.
perched atop of a hill in the middle of the city, of which now only a ruin remains. In December 1672 it was destroyed, not to be rebuilt. Only two city gates (the Berkelpoort and the Grendelpoort) and a part of the citywalls survived destruction. Valkenburg is no longer a fortified city but retained its importance nevertheless.The rulers lineage has long been lost in the sands of time, but a long term legend of the Valkenburg residents is that each male of royal blood has a birth mark on his chest.
For an impression of resistance activities during the Second World War in Valkenburg see Valkenburg resistance
.
The present aim of Valkenburg is to move from mass-tourism for which it was famous during the seventies and eighties (with camping sites full of youths building their own constructions of beer crates) towards the attraction of the more elaborated tourist, who exhibits a more quiet and relaxed behaviour.
Valkenburg is situated in a beautiful part of the Netherlands which is perfectly suited for walks or (mountain) bike tours through the hilly terrain. Although the municipality Valkenburg aan de Geul only has about 18,000 inhabitants, it hosts about 1 million nights a year.
Valkenburg has the oldest still existing railway station building in the Netherlands.
hill has been the finish of the Amstel Gold Race
. The Tour de France
had a stage finish in Valkenburg in 1992
and in 2006
.
, Geulhem
, Houthem, IJzeren, Oud-Valkenburg
, Schin op Geul
, Sibbe
, Valkenburg, Vilt
, Walem
.
motorways, this motorway runs form maastricht to Heerlen.
, Houthem-Sint Gerlach
and Schin op Geul
, operated by Veolia
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the southeastern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
History
Siege and conquest were characteristic of the history of Valkenburg. Each event is withheld, followed by subsequent restorations. This most definitely holds for the castleValkenburg castle
-History:In the year 1115, fortifications were erected at the site by Gosewijn I, Lord of Valkenburg. This original wooden keep survived until 1122 when it was destroyed under siege by Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor. The castle was rebuilt in the following centuries but was again destroyed in a siege,...
perched atop of a hill in the middle of the city, of which now only a ruin remains. In December 1672 it was destroyed, not to be rebuilt. Only two city gates (the Berkelpoort and the Grendelpoort) and a part of the citywalls survived destruction. Valkenburg is no longer a fortified city but retained its importance nevertheless.The rulers lineage has long been lost in the sands of time, but a long term legend of the Valkenburg residents is that each male of royal blood has a birth mark on his chest.
For an impression of resistance activities during the Second World War in Valkenburg see Valkenburg resistance
Valkenburg resistance
The Valkenburg Resistance was the resistance movement in Valkenburg, Limburg, Netherlands, during World War II. Most of the activities were related to helping people who had gone into hiding for various reasons. Going into hiding was dangerous, but so was keeping people in hiding...
.
The present touristic Valkenburg
Nowadays Valkenburg is especially known for its touristic character. There are several attractions within walking distance of the city centre. To mention a few:- the Valkenburg Holland Casino,
- the Steenkolenmijn,
- the Sauna & Welness resort Thermae 2000,
- the former marl quarries (with charcoal drawings, some of which date back to the time of the Romans).
- the Sint-Gerlachus church in Houthem Sint-Gerlach. (The only religious building with frescos (paintings on marl) in the Netherlands).
The present aim of Valkenburg is to move from mass-tourism for which it was famous during the seventies and eighties (with camping sites full of youths building their own constructions of beer crates) towards the attraction of the more elaborated tourist, who exhibits a more quiet and relaxed behaviour.
Valkenburg is situated in a beautiful part of the Netherlands which is perfectly suited for walks or (mountain) bike tours through the hilly terrain. Although the municipality Valkenburg aan de Geul only has about 18,000 inhabitants, it hosts about 1 million nights a year.
Valkenburg has the oldest still existing railway station building in the Netherlands.
Cycling
Valkenburg aan de Geul is famous for its Cycling events. The city has hosted the UCI Road Cycling World Championship a record four times, in 1938, 1948, 1979 and 1998. Since 2003, the city's CaubergCauberg
The Cauberg is a hill in Valkenburg aan de Geul, a city in the Netherlands. The length of the climb is around 1200 m, with a maximum grade of 12%.- Road Cycling :...
hill has been the finish of the Amstel Gold Race
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...
. The Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
had a stage finish in Valkenburg in 1992
1992 Tour de France
The 1992 Tour de France was the 79th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 26, 1992. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3983 km, with riders averaging 39.504 km/h...
and in 2006
2006 Tour de France
The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis....
.
Population centres
Berg en TerblijtBerg en Terblijt
Berg en Terblijt is the official Dutch name of a village in the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul in the province of Limburg in the Southern part of the Netherlands.-History:...
, Geulhem
Geulhem
Geulhem is a rural village in the south-eastern Netherlands, part of the former Berg en Terblijt council, now Valkenburg aan de Geul council. It is situated between Houthem and Berg en Terblijt.-History:...
, Houthem, IJzeren, Oud-Valkenburg
Oud-Valkenburg
Oud-Valkenburg is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul, and has about 130 inhabitants.Oud-Valkenburg was a separate municipality until 1940, when it was merged with Valkenburg...
, Schin op Geul
Schin op Geul
Schin op Geul is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul, about 3 km southeast of the town of Valkenburg....
, Sibbe
Sibbe
Sibbe is the official Dutch name of a village in the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul in the province of Limburg in the Southern part of the Netherlands.-History:...
, Valkenburg, Vilt
Vilt
Vilt is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg, within the commune of Valkenburg aan de Geul. It is located on the top of the Cauberg.Vilt does not have its own church, and is a part of parish of Berg, but does have a primary school....
, Walem
Walem (Netherlands)
Walem is a hamlet with about 200 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is largely located in the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul, but a small part lies in Voerendaal....
.
By car
Valkenburg aan den Geul is served by the A79A79 motorway (Netherlands)
The A79 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is located entirely in the Dutch province of Limburg.The road is 17 kilometer in length...
motorways, this motorway runs form maastricht to Heerlen.
By train
Valkenburg aan den Geul has three train station ValkenburgValkenburg railway station
Valkenburg is a railway station located in Valkenburg aan de Geul, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 23 October 1853 and is located on the Maastricht–Aachen railway. The services are operated by Veolia...
, Houthem-Sint Gerlach
Houthem-Sint Gerlach railway station
Houthem-Sint Gerlach is a railway station located in Houthem, The Netherlands. The station was opened in 1890 and is located on the Heuvellandlijn...
and Schin op Geul
Schin op Geul railway station
Schin op Geul is a railway station located in Schin op Geul, The Netherlands.-History:The station was opened on 23 October 1853 and is located on the Heuvellandlijn and also the steam railway of ZLSM...
, operated by Veolia
Veolia Transport Nederland
Veolia Transport Nederland is, like Connexxion, a Dutch subsidiary of Veolia Transdev. It provides bus, train and ferry services.-History:The company first appeared in the Netherlands in 1997 when it traded as CGEA. This company had a 70% share in the train company Lovers Rail who operated trains...
Well Known People
- Camiel EurlingsCamiel EurlingsCamiel Eurlings is a former Dutch politician and a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He was the minister at the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management from 22 February 2007 to 14 October 2010...
(1973) - politician
- Marjon Lambriks (1949) - Soprano
- Marc Lotz (1973) - Former cyclist