Nuth, Stein and Geleen

The Meuse rises in distant France near Pouilly-en-Bassigny and is an important part of the cycling tour on Dutch territory. With the sound of the rippling water in the background, you can thoroughly enjoy all the beauty that the Maas and surrounding nature have to offer during this route.

It used to be an important shipping route, although it was sometimes difficult to navigate the Meuse. That problem worsened because in 1843 our southern neighbors built the Bocholt-Herentals canal and tapped water from the Maas to irrigate infertile Kempen lands. Despite the fact that a treaty was concluded in 1863 to solve this problem for the Netherlands, hard work was done from 1915 on to increase the water supply of the Meuse by building weirs, constructing canals and cutting off Meuse bends. Because the height of the water is highly dependent on rainfall, the water is meters high in winter, while the river is almost dry in summer.

The mysterious depth and power of the river sets the mood during your bike ride. It is wonderful to follow the banks of the Maas and let your thoughts be carried away by the mass of water. Large and small freight, steam and sailing ships sail past steadily and give you a good idea of the importance that the Netherlands has in water transport.

An interesting contrast is the highly urbanized area of Stein and Geleen. The Geleen area was once home to the oldest farming villages in the Netherlands. Hunters and gatherers were the first to settle here, more than 5,000 years BC, to make a living from arable farming and livestock breeding. They built their settlements on the fertile unloading grounds near the Geleenbeek. Later, the Romans and other civilizations also left their mark here and a church village emerged, which grew spectacularly as an industrial community after the construction of the Royal Maurits State Mine. Construction of the coal mine, which would become the most modern in Europe, started in 1915 and in sixty years the population of Geleen increased from 4,000 to 34,000.

During your tour you will pass a beautiful mill in Urmond. The Urmond mill was built in 1805. The semi-closed post mill ground grain until the beginning of the Second World War. The flour mill subsequently fell out of operation, but the De Hollandsche Molen Association had the mill renovated. In 1964, the then municipality of Urmond became the proud owner of the mill, which in 2013 only serves to beautify the landscape.