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The conference city: Maastricht – the art of fine living Maastricht (population approximately 123.000 inhabitants) is situated in the southernmost tip of the Netherlands, on the border with Belgium and Germany. Liège and Aachen are located nearby Maastricht (about 25 km), and Brussels and Düsseldorf can be reached within an hour by car. Maastricht is easily accessible by road and train from Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris. Brussels Airport Zaventem and Schiphol Airport Amsterdam are major international airports that serve as a link to other countries. In addition the local Maastricht-Aachen Airport at Beek (at 10 km. distance from Maastricht) may serve as a link to other countries. Maastricht is the capital of the Dutch province of Limburg, which by its location has a strong international character. Maastricht acts as a ‘crossroad’ within the surrounding Euregion Meuse-Rhine. Maastricht gained international fame as the host of the European Summit of 1991 where the ‘Treaty of Maastricht’ was adopted as the formal foundation of the European Union. However, Maastricht is also the oldest and one of the most attractive cities in the Netherlands (founded 50 b.C.). The river Meuse (Maas) flows through the city and is spanned by the Servaasbrug, the oldest bridge in the Netherlands. In the autumn of 2003 a bridge for pedestrians was opened connecting the historical centre of Maastricht with the ‘Centre Céramique’, a newly built district designed by European architects as Alvaro Siza, Botta, Herzberger, Ortiz and the Dutch state architect Jo Coenen. A walk through Maastricht reveals a wealth of historical monuments (over 1400 protected buildings), heritage of a turbulent past. A beautiful 17th century town hall, several Medieval and Baroque churches and monasteries and two of the finest Roman churches in the Netherlands, the St. Servaas and ‘Onze Lieve Vrouwe’ (Basilica of Our Lady), are landmarks in the old town, which is characterized by winding streets, intimate squares with elegant 17th and 18th facades, and partly closed by old city walls. Visits can be made to the Bonnefantenmuseum, the Spanish Government, the Casemates, the Treasures of the St. Servatius Basilica or the Brewery Museum ‘De Keyzer’. Also boat trips on the Meuse – for example visiting the Sunday market in Liège – can be made. Maastricht is also a centre for higher education, with the Universiteit Maastricht and the Hogeschool Zuyd (including, among others, an Academy of Drama, Academy of Music, Academy of Visual Arts, and a Hotel Management School). In addition, several internationally renowned institutions are based in Maastricht, such as the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), the Maastricht School of Management (MsM), the European Journalism Centre (EJC), the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and the United Nations University Institute for New Technologies (UNU/MERIT). Maastricht constitutes an ideal city for shoppers by virtue of the large number of shops and department stores in the city-centre region between the Vrijthof square and the railway station. A day’s shopping in Maastricht provides visitors with both an appealing and a very special experience, since the majority of the city’s stores are located in historical streets. The well conserved and excellently maintained small-scale Wyck quarter on the Eastern bank of the Meuse offers a refined shopping culture, with its renowned and long-established stores specialized in art, antiques, design, home furnishings and accessories and fashion, and its delicatessens. The city’s Western quarter on the Meuse with the oldest region around the Stokstraat district - has a particular appeal to visitors. It offers them a large number of convivial (pavement) cafes and restaurants alternating between exclusive and specialized stores, inclusive of famous fashion houses, interior stores with home accessories and furniture, jewellers, antique shops, and galleries. Maastricht also has a strong gastronomic tradition; it is regarded as the culinary centre of the Netherlands. This considerable reputation is based upon the unique variety of both top class restaurants (of which several awarded with Michelin stars) and intimate bistros. Maastricht is – because of the combination of charm of a compact old city, the shopping facilities, the gastronomic tradition and the Burgundian life style of the population - very popular to tourists spending a weekend in the city. The Dutch Tourist Board ranked Maastricht as the most popular destination. Maastricht has also beautiful surroundings: a hill country with magnificent chateaus, winery, and bronze-oak woods. A visit to Maastricht can be combined with a stay in an accommodation in the countryside.
For more information about the city of Maastricht: www.vvvmaastricht.nl |
