The Mergellandroute ("marl land route") is a tourist route through South Limburg, Netherlands, mapped out by the ANWB. [1]
The Mergellandroute goes mostly through the local hills, which are in contrast with the lesser relief found in the rest of the Netherlands. The route has a length of 110 kilometers by car and motorcycle or 136.9 kilometers by bike. [2] [3]
The route for motorised vehicles, designated by brown roadsigns, passes through the following towns. Note that the route is circular and any location can be used as starting place. [4] [5]
The route for bicycles (green roadsigns) goes via: [6]
Limburg, also known as Dutch Limburg, is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is bordered by Gelderland to the north and by North Brabant to its west. Its long eastern boundary forms the international border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. To the west is the international border with the similarly named Belgian province of Limburg, part of which is delineated by the river Meuse. To the South, Limburg is bordered by the Belgian province of Liège. The Vaalserberg is on the extreme southeastern point, marking the tripoint of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
Gulpen-Wittem is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands with 14,206 inhabitants as of 2021.
Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality situated in the southeastern Dutch province of Limburg. The name refers to the central town in the municipality, Valkenburg, and the small river Geul passing through it.
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.
The Geul is a river in Belgium and in the Netherlands, where it is a right-bank tributary to the river Meuse.
Eckelrade is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is part of the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, and situated about 8 km southeast of the town of Maastricht.
Mesch is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, quite near to the Netherlands' the southerly border with Belgium, on the other side of which the neighbouring village of Moelingen is situated. In its northwest, Mesch borders the larger village of Eijsden, whereas the city and municipality of Maastricht lies about 10 km farther to the north. The relatively small Voer river, which has its source in Belgium, passes through this village among other streams and waterways, before draining into the Meuse river at Eijsden. The Mergellandroute, a route often used by tourists and mapped out by the ANWB, also passes through Mesch.
Slenaken is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg.
Heerlen is a railway station located in Heerlen, Netherlands.
Maastricht railway station is located in Maastricht in Limburg, Netherlands. It is the main railway station in Limburg's capital city. It is the southern terminus of the Alkmaar–Maastricht intercity service by NS. Additionally, Arriva and the Belgian NMBS serve the station with local trains.
South Limburg is both a COROP (statistical) region as well as a landstreek (area) of the Netherlands located in the province of Limburg. The Dutch term landstreek, literally translated "land area/region", means that the area is not an administrative region but an area that displays cohesion with regard to culture and landscape. With regards to South Limburg this deals with its hilly landscape, especially in the Heuvelland region, sunken lanes, an abundance of castles, and the regional language Limburgish spoken by a significant part of the population alongside Dutch. The region also contains the highest point above sea level in mainland Netherlands, the Vaalserberg being 322.5 metres (1,058 ft) above sea level.
Eijsden-Margraten (Dutch pronunciation:[ˌɛizdəˈmɑrɣraːtə ]; is a municipality situated in the very south of the Netherlands. There it is located in the southeastern part of the province of Limburg.
Selzerbeek is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Limburg in the Netherlands. It stretches over approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) from its source at Aachen to its mouth near Gulpen into the Geul.
Eyserheide is a hamlet in the southeastern Netherlands. It is located close to the village of Eys in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem, Limburg, around 15 km east of Maastricht. The name refers to a former heathland in the area. The village has a population of 90 people.
The Eyserbeek is a river in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. The Eyserbeek is a right-bank tributary to the river Geul, which later joins the Meuse. Rising in Bocholtz and flowing through Simpelveld and Eys, the Eyserbeek eventually drains in the river Geul in Gulpen. The Eyserbeek lies on the north of the plateau of Bocholtz and south of the plateau of Ubachsberg.
The 2015 Amstel Gold Race was the 50th edition of the Amstel Gold Race one-day race. It took place on 19 April and was the eleventh race of the 2015 UCI World Tour. The Amstel Gold Race formed part of the Ardennes classics season, although it took place in the Limburg region of the Netherlands rather than in the Belgian Ardennes. It took place in the week before La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the other principal Ardennes classics. The defending champion in the 2015 edition of the race was Philippe Gilbert, who had won the race three times and had also won the 2012 world championships on a very similar course.
Huls is a hamlet in the southeastern Netherlands. It is part of the municipality of Simpelveld in the province of Limburg, about 20 km east of Maastricht. The village lies on a hill, north of Simpelveld, and south of Ubachsberg. In 2008 the village had a population of 350 on an area of 0.44 km2. On the hillside south of Huls lies Hulsveld, a hamlet sharing the same name with a population of 1630. Since the hamlets share a single built-up area, and are both located on the hill called Huls, the village Huls is sometimes mistaken to include Hulsveld.
Schaloen Castle is a castle in Oud-Valkenburg in the South Limburg municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul in The Netherlands. The castle is a national monument. Together with the Johannes de Doperkerk and Genhoes, it is part of the protected face of Oud Valkenburg. It is also part of the Buitengoed Geul & Maas.
Hans Coumans was a Dutch painter active in the South Limburg region, Belgium and Germany. He was self-taught and produced approximately 1700 works. He painted in the Impressionist painting style.