History

Limburg takes its name from the fortified castle known as Limbourg, situated on the small river Vesdre in the
Ardennes. It was the seat of a medieval princedom which extended into the Meuse region north of Liège. After the Napoleonic era, the great powers united the region with the new Kingdom of the Netherlands, of which Belgium was also part. The first King, William I, gave the region the name of Limburg. After Belgium gained its independence, Limburg was split and divided between the two countries in 1839. For centuries, Limburg's strategic location made it a much- coveted region among Europe's major powers. Romans, Spaniards, Prussians, Austrians and Frenchhave all ruled Limburg as lord and master. In 1673, Louis XIV, the Sun King, personally commanded the siege of Maastricht by French troops. During the siege, one of his brigadiers, Count Charles d'Artagnan, perished; he subsequently became known as one of the musketeers in the novel of the same name by Alexander Dumas (1802-1870). Limburg was also the scene of many a bloody battle during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), in which the Netherlands threw off Spanish rule. At the battle of Mookerhei (14 April 1574), two brothers of Prince William of Orange-Nassau and thousands of "Dutch" mercenaries lost their lives.
The Second World War cost the lives of many civilians in Limburg, and a large number of towns and villages were destroyed by bombings and artillery battles. Various cemeteries, too, bear witness to this dark chapter in Limburg's history. Almost eight and a half thousand U.S. soldiers who perished during the liberation of the Netherlands lie buried at the American Military Cemetery in Margraten. A cemetery was also constructed in IJsselstein in the Municipality of Venray for the 31 thousand German soldiers who lost their lives.