Nuth, Brunssum and Schinveld

The landscape of and around Brunssum was already inhabited in prehistoric times. Archaeological finds and mentions from the Middle Ages prove that the area has been inhabited continuously for the past 2,000 years. Brunssum has been known as a lordship since 1150 and became an independent municipality in 1794. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, Brunssum remained a small hamlet and the inhabitants lived from agriculture. But after the state mines were established, Brunssum quickly grew into an important centre for stone and lignite mining and the place gained more economic significance. In 1995, the Limburg town gained national fame when a miracle seemed to take place: a statue of Mary seemed to cry blood. Research later showed that the substance that ran over the face of the Holy Mother was simply melted glue.

The Brunssummerheide is a hilly area, covered with heathland, forest, fens and peat bogs. Raised bog occurs in the source area; here the Brunssummerheide is therefore particularly humid. In the area, if you come in the summer months, you can see many butterflies fluttering. Due to the high humidity, there are also many amphibians and reptiles: green frogs, grass snakes and sand lizards are no exception. Other animals such as the nightjar and the tree pipit also thrive there among plants such as bone asphodel, white beak sedge and clubmoss.