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Meerssen

Meersje  (Limburgish)
Municipality and town
Geulle Castle
Geulle Castle
Flag of Meerssen
Flag
 Coat of arms of Meerssen
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Meerssen in a municipal map of Limburg
Location in Limburg
Country Netherlands
Province Limburg
Government
 • Body Municipal council
Area
 • Total 27.64 km2 (10.67 sq mi)
 • Land 27.14 km2 (10.48 sq mi)
 • Water 0.50 km2 (0.19 sq mi)
Elevation
57 m (187 ft)
Population
 (May 2014)
 • Total 19,170
 • Density 706/km2 (1,830/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Meerssenaar
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
6230–6243
Area code 043
Gem-Meerssen-OpenTopo
Dutch Topographic map of Meerssen, June 2015

Meerssen (Dutch: [ˈmeːrsə(n)]; Limburgish: Meersje [ˈmeːʀʃə]) is a town and a municipality in southeastern Netherlands.

History

The Treaty of Meerssen was signed in Meerssen in 870. The Treaty of Meerssen was an agreement of the division of the Carolingian Empire by the surviving sons of Louis I: Charles II of the West Franks and Louis the German of the East Franks.

Around the middle of the 10th century the allodium Meerssen was the property of queen Gerberga, the daughter of king Henry I. She was the spouse of Louis IV of France. In 968 she donated all her property to the abbey of Saint Remigius in Reims.

Population centres

  • Bunde
  • Geulle
  • Meerssen
  • Rothem
  • Ulestraten

Transportation

Railway station: Meerssen

Meerssen, de basiliek van het Heilig Sacrament RM28446 IMG 8284 2021-02-21 14.51
Basilica: Basiliek van het Heilig Sacrament, de Sint-Bartholomeusbasiliek

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Netherlands

Twin towns - Sister cities

Meerssen is a founding member of the Douzelage, a town twinning association of 24 towns across the European Union. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals. Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns (Agros in Cyprus, Škofja Loka in Slovenia, and Tryavna in Bulgaria).

Notable people

  • Charles Eyck (1897 in Meerssen - 1983) a Dutch visual artist
  • Hubert Levigne (1905 in Meerssen - 1989) a Dutch artist
  • Gerard Kockelmans (1925 in Meerssen - 1965) a Dutch composer, conductor and music teacher
  • Jef Lahaye (1932 in Bunde – 1990) a Dutch professional racing cyclist
  • Maria van der Hoeven (born 1949 in Meerssen) a retired Dutch politician
  • Erik Meijer (born 1969 in Meerssen) a retired Dutch footballer with 462 club caps
  • Kyara Stijns (born 1995 in Bunde) a Dutch professional racing cyclist

Gallery

  • Geulle-Westbroek 59 (1)

    Geulle-Westbroek

  • Old farm near Meerssen (South Limburg, Netherlands 2008) (2476530208)

    Old farm near Meerssen

  • Overzicht van een der vleugels van de herenhof - Bunde - 20406639 - RCE

    Overzicht van een der vleugels van de herenhof - Bunde

  • Ulestraten-De nar van Ulestraten (3)

    Ulestraten-De nar van Ulestraten

  • Ulestraten-Groot Berghem 13

    Ulestraten-Groot Berghem

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Meerssen para niños

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