Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.

History

The first documented texts mentioning Valkenburg dates from the year 1041. From this year stems a document wherein the German king Henry III (who later becomes emperor) donates four villages to his niece Irmgard. These villages are Herve, Epen, Vaals and Valkenburg. The parchment is signed on the 15th of February 1041 and the name Falchenberch is clearly visible. Historians agree that the current day Valkenburg was not meant, but the current day Oud-Valkenburg (Old-Valkenburg). The name Valkenburg probably refers to the Medieval hunt for falcons, which was a sign of nobility.

Siege and conquest were characteristic of the history of Valkenburg. Each event is withheld, followed by subsequent restorations. This most definitely holds for the castle perched atop of a hill in the middle of the city, of which now only a ruin remains. In December 1672 it is destroyed, not to be rebuilt. Only two city gates (the Berkelpoort and the Grendelpoort) and a part of the citywalls survive destruction. Valkenburg is no longer a fortified city but retained its importance nevertheless.

The present touristic Valkenburg

Nowadays Valkenburg is especially known for its touristic character. There is a lot to do within walking distance of the city centre. To name just a few examples: you can visit the Valkenburg Holland Casino (http://www.hollandcasino.nl/nl/vestigingen/valkenburg/?ie=0), the Steenkolenmijn (http://www.steenkolenmijn.nl/), relax at the Thermae 2000 (http://www.thermae.nl/), visit one of the many publicly accessible former marl quarries (with charcoal drawings which sometimes even date back to the time of the Romans). Afterwards you can enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants or a drink in one of the many pubs.

Especially worth visiting is the Sint-Gerlachus chapel (http://www.st-gerlach.nl/) in Houthem Sint-Gerlach. It's the only religious building with fresco's (paintings on marl) in the Netherlands and as such truly unique. The paintings were restored during the 1970s.

The present aim of Valkenburg is to move from mass-tourism for which it was famous during the seventies and eighties (with camping sites full of youths building their own constructions of beer crates) towards the attraction of the more elaborated tourist, who exhibits a more quiet and relaxed behaviour.

Valkenburg is situated in a beautiful part of the Netherlands which is perfectly suited for walks or (mountain) bike tours through the hilly terrain. Although the municipality Valkenburg aan de Geul only has about 18.000 inhabitants, it hosts about 1 million nights a year.

Valkenburg has the oldest still existing railway station building in the Netherlands.

Population centres

Berg en Terblijt, Geulhem, Houthem, IJzeren, Oud-Valkenburg, Schin op Geul, Sibbe, Valkenburg, Vilt, Walem.

External link

• Official website (http://www.valkenburg.nl)

Valkenburg aan de Geul should not be confused with Valkenburg (South Holland).