Roermond

Roermond is a city  in the Dutch province of Limburg on the border with Germany and near Flanders in Belgium. The city of Roermond is located at the mouth of the Rur in the Meuse.

Its urban origins date back to the Romans. An altar stone dedicated to the goddess Rura, which was found in the city, dates from the 3rd century AD. Caesar is said to have named the Roman place “Villa Optima” – “best place to live”.

The earliest surviving document mentioning Roermond is dated 1130  At that time was belonged to the Duchy of Geldern. In 1213 it was destroyed by the German Emperor Otto IV. During the subsequent reconstruction, the construction of the Munster abbey began in 1224, from which the Liebfrauen-Munsterkirche is still preserved today.
From 1702 to 1716 Roermond was an independent state. It then belonged to Austria until 1794, the city was first conquered in December 1792 by the French under Francisco de Miranda.
From 1815 to 1830, the city was Dutch, then she belonged to Belgium until 1839. It followed until 1866 a double membership of East Limburg to the Netherlands and the German Confederation. Since 1866, the city is again exclusively Dutch.

Access : Coordinates: 51.2, 5.983333 / By car : The German A52  autobahn leads directly to the city center of Roermond. / By boat : The Meuse and navigable channels pass through Roermond.

By bus : The Dutch Veolia-Transport operates a public bus service to Heinsberg. The bus service between Monchengladbach and Roermond over the border town Elmpt is set. Several times a day you can with the Flixbus from and to the Outletcenter to / from Dusseldorf (Cologne) and Eindhoven as well as u.a. to Antwerp, Aachen, Maastricht.
By plane :
Maastricht Aachen Airport – 40 km away, 3/4 hour journey by train- Weeze Airport 55 km.
Dusseldorf International Airport -60 km, 2 hours via Dusseldorf and Venlo.
There is no regular service at the regional airport Dusseldorf-Monchengladbach.
Kempen Airport in Budel, Noord-Brabant is suitable for small machines and for business flights. (30 km distance, train stop Weert)/
By train : Roermond is served by the IC (from Heerlen, from Amsterdam via Utrecht) and by regional transport (Nijmegen via Venlo, Maastricht). Most of the connections from Germany are via Venlo  from Aachen you drive over Heerlen. Connections from Belgium and Luxembourg via Liege and Maastricht, from Antwerp one drives faster over Eindhoven. Operator of the long-distance routes is Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the regional routes Veolia Transport.
Move around : The city center is relatively small and easy to explore on foot. But there are also some buses. Like almost all cities in the Netherlands, Roermond is particularly bike friendly. parking is available at the Designer Outlet Centre.

• Highlights :
• Maasplassen, Roermond,The Maasplassen is a vast, continuous network of large and small lakes, created by gravel excavations. What almost nobody knows is that the Maasplassen, with an area of  more than 3000 hectares, is also the largest continuous water sports area in the Netherlands.
• Munsterkerk – The Munsterkerk in Roermond, is the only Late Romanesque church in the Netherlands. Her official name is Onze Lieve Vrouwe Munsterkerk.a 13th-century church dedicated to Our Lady and of the most important example of Late Romanesque architecture in the Netherlands.The church is a Rijksmonument, and is part of the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites.
• Designer Outlet Roermond , Stadsweide 2, 6041 TD Roermond, Open : 10:00 am – 8:00 pm , Designer Outlet Roermond is home to your favourite designer brands, the latest trends and a range of stylish dining options.in the historic city centre of Roermond,there is food and snacks there are also bathrooms and many shops. The place is very beautiful and pleasant
• Cuypershuis , Pierre Cuypersstraat 1, 6041 XG Roermond, Open : 11:00 am – 4:30 pm , The Cuypershuis (formerly called the Municipal or Municipal Museum Roermond) is a museum in Roermond, located in the former residence and studio of architect Pierre Cuypers.The collection with regard to the history of Roermond has, under the name History House, been given its own place in the Neerstraat in the Basisbibibiori library. Here information is displayed about the history of the city.
• St. Christoffelkathedraal – St. Christopher’s Cathedral, Open : 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Kraanpoort, Roermond, The Sint-Christoffelkathedraal is a gothic church building in the Dutch city of Roermond. It is the cathedral of the diocese of Roermond. There are various stained glass windows in the cathedral, including Joep Nicolas, Huub Kurvers, Jean Paul Raymond, Leo Reihs, Diego Semprun Nicolas and Annemiek Punt.On the cathedral is a golden statue of Saint Christopher. The original statue was cast by Theodorus Cox and placed on the cathedral in 1894.
• Kapel in ‘t Zand, Parklaan 1 , The Chapel in ‘t Zand is a parish church and place of pilgrimage in the district of the same name in Roermond. The chapel was built in predominantly neo-Gothic style to a design by architect Johannes Kayser. For a long time it also served as a monastery church of the adjacent Redemptorist monastery.
• Pierre Cuypers Statue , Munsterplein | Nassaustraat 47, 6043 EB Roermond, Pierre Cuypers’ Statue ,He has been very important for the Netherlands with the design of great buildings and especially churches all over the Netherlands . Roermond was ‘his’ town.
• Nationaal Indie-monument , Maastrichterweg 19, 6041 NZ Roermond, The National East Indies monument 1945-1962 is a monument in the National Memorial Park in Roermond. The memorial commemorates the 6,229 Dutch soldiers who fell during the battle in the former Dutch East Indies and New Guinea in the period 1945-1962.
• Stadhuis Roermond – Roermond City Hall ,Markt 31, 6041 EM Roermond, The Stadhuis -Town Hall, On July 16, 1554, a city fire destroyed the city center and destroyed the town hall. It was rebuilt the following years. Around 1700, the town hall underwent a major renovation with the current facade. From then on it also served as a meeting place for the States of the Gelre Overkwartier. Construction of a knight’s room began in 1695. In 1876 the facade of the town hall was cemented according to a plan by the architect Ch. Weber.
• Rattentoren , Grote Kerkstraat 19, 6041 CR Roermond, The Rat Tower is a round corner tower from the last quarter of the 14th century and one of the 20 towers that were once part of the Roermond city wall. The spire of this tower was destroyed during the Stadsbrand of Roermond (1554). This tower was later purchased by the Municipality of Roermond and in 1976 it was restored under the supervision of Louis Schippers. She was then also provided with a new striker.
• Voorstad St. Jacob – Suburb St. Jacob, The beautiful suburb with the old buildings , It was mainly populated by fishermen, poor people and inns. It was not until the 18th century that fortifications came around the suburbs., to the row of houses on the Roerkade. There you will find the oldest plots, separated by alleys, which all approach the water.The suburb owes its name to a Jacob’s chapel from the 15th century, which was lost in 1580 due to violence during the Eighty Years’ War.
• De Maria Theresiabrug – The Maria Theresia stone Bridge, Open : 12:00 am – 11:59 pm ,The Maria Theresia Bridge, known to many as the Stenen Brug, is located on the Roerkade and Roersingel in the center of Roermond. The bridge is known in the history books from the year 1348. In 1764 the bridge collapsed due to high water in the Ruhr, in 1771 it was completely restored.
• Caroluskapel – The Carolus Chapel ,Swalmerstraat 100 ,The Carolus Chapel is the chapel of the former Carthusian monastery Bethlehem in Roermond,The first monastery chapel, dedicated to Mary of Bethlehem, was from 1398 The chapel was rebuilt in late Gothic style. In 1556, a chapter room with a star vault was added on the west side of the ship. An octagonal stair tower was added around 1600 From 1748 the complex was radically renovated. To the west of the chapter room was a refectory with stucco ceiling in the style of the Regence. In 1759 the chapel was radically renovated in Louis XV style. A rich stucco ceiling with rococo motifs was introduced.
• Historiehuis – History House , Neerstraat 11, The History House shows the history of Roermond very interesting, there are all kinds of old objects and information is given about the history, exhibition about stained glass painting.
• Huis de Steenen Trappen – The House with the Stone Stairs, Neerstraat 33 , The House with the Stone Stairs is a ( National Monument of the Netherlands) monumental mansion the house was built in 1666 for Peter van Boshuijsen (schout van Echt and steward of Ambt Montfort) and his wife Maria Holtman. The late-medieval cellar of the house comes from the De Gulden Valck house, which was previously located here. The house is built in Maaslands classicism. The strictly symmetrical house in red brick has corner bands in white natural stone and a landing. The facade is adorned with a pediment.

Activities : photo opportunities- photography trips-photography spots / sightseeing / City walks / cycling : / Boating on the Maasplassen in Roermond is great / snapping selfies : Insta spot / Explore Roermond with a guide /  Cruise on the Maasplassen /

Go next : South Limburg / Weert / Swalmen / Amsterdam / Dusseldorf / Paris, 2.50 h., change once in Liege / Brussels, 1.50 h., change once in Liege