Eijsden
| Eijsden Èèsjde |
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| — Village and former municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 50°47′N 5°42′E / 50.783°N 5.700°E | |||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | Limburg | ||
| Municipality | Eijsden-Margraten | ||
| Area(2006) | |||
| • Total | 20.76 km2 (8.02 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 19.75 km2 (7.63 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 1.01 km2 (0.39 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2007) | |||
| • Total | 7,000 | ||
| • Density | 589/km2 (1,530/sq mi) | ||
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Eijsden should not be confused with the village of Eisden in the Belgian province of Limburg.
Eijsden (
pronunciation (help·info)) (Limburgish: Èèsjde) is a place situated in the southern part of the Dutch province of Limburg. Until January 1st, 2011 it was the main village in a municipality with the same name. On that date this municipality merged with a neighbouring one, which resulted in the new Eijsden-Margraten municipality.
Eijsden is one of the most southerly places in the Netherlands. For in its south the village is extending up to the border between the Netherlands and Belgium. On its west side the river Meuse (named Maas in Dutch) forms the frontier between both mentioned countries.
History
Eijsden is one of the older places in the country. Its name is supposed to be derived of the Germanic word for aspen forest. Excavations have revealed a Roman settlement. In the Middle Ages, this settlement developed to a village. After the (feudal) Middle Ages, in the seventeenth century Eijsden gained in economic strength because of its position near the Dutch-Belgian frontier on the Meuse river. Its function as a trading and shipping centre attracted settlement of well-to-do merchants from Holland. This period of prosperity ended in the Napoleonic era when, for a time, the area ceased to be a frontier.
Former municipality
The former Eijsden municipality was composed of several population centres, of which the one named Eijsden was the largest, with 7000 inhabitants. The other population centres (now all part of "Eijsden-Margraten") were:
- Gronsveld
- Mariadorp
- Mesch
- Oost-Maarland
- Rijckholt
- Withuis
Economy
Apart from trading and shipping, the Eijsden economy has had an agricultural character, with a focus on fruit growing. At one time, in Eijsden the Netherland's largest local fruit tree area was situated. In 1870, a zinc white factory brought industrial activity to the municipality, along with jobs and air pollution. The number of jobs originally was about 700; by now some 300 are left. In the second half of the 20th century, many orchards were replaced by housing, dairy farming, industry and water (as a result of extended gravel extraction). Nowadays Eijsden is largely residential.
Sights
- The seventeenth century Renaissance style castle of Eijsden (according to the Unesco-list) is one of the top hundred buildings in the country.
Music
In the municipality of Eijsden two military bands are based ('the blue' and 'the red'), of which the first mentioned belongs to the second highest national division and the last mentioned to the highest.
Famous natives of Eijsden
- Eugène Dubois- Anatomist/Anthropologist
- Jo Maas, former cyclist, stage winner and seventh in end-classification of 1978 Tour de France.
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