Eygelshoven, Kerkrade

Well-known, larger cities are bustling in Limburg! Heerlen is one of the largest municipalities in Limburg. Traditionally, Heerlen was relatively isolated because there were no good access roads and the city was therefore hidden between the hills. The city was self-sufficient and generated a lot of income from mining. It was not until 1896 that Heerlen got a station and a connection to the Dutch railway network, which opened up the city to the surrounding area. Due to flourishing trade, the town has grown into the city it is today.

Kerkrade is also a nice city to soak up the atmosphere. It has an eventful history with three countries and has belonged to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Originally, the land on which Kerkrade was developed was already Dutch territory. As part of 's-Hertogenrode, Kerkrade belonged to Prussia from 1815 to 1816, because in 1815 the independent lordship was assigned to that border town. After Kerkrade split off and became part of the Netherlands again, Belgium declared its independence and claimed the territory of Kerkrade. It was not until 1839 that the town was returned to the Netherlands, when Belgium was internationally recognized as an independent country with the Treaty of London.

You cycle a bit further and enter Landgraaf, which is known to many people for its large ski hall and the annual Pinkpop festival. Take a few hours to enjoy the beautiful plants and styles in the Mondo Verde World Gardens. The gardens form a magnificent 25-hectare amusement park complete with animals. In the Tropenhal it is always more than 20 degrees Celsius and the Italian, Moroccan, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, English and Portuguese gardens are stunningly beautiful. There is also a kind of desert, which is in sharp contrast to the Moorish garden, where water basins and fountains predominate.

A few hundred metres from the entrance to Mondo Verde is the Strijthagermolen. This watermill from 1617 was given its current form in 1700 when it was rebuilt. The waterwheel is powered by water from the reservoir at Strijthagen Castle, which is not surprising, because the mill originally belonged to the castle. Demonstrations are regularly given at the mid-stroke watermill.

After your visit to the mill and the gardens, you get back on your bike to cycle to the historic castle's-Heeren Anstel. The complex consists of two perpendicular economic buildings around a beautiful forecourt. If you look closely, you can see the traces of an old moat that has since been filled in. Under the right wing, a magnificent cellar has been built with breathtakingly beautiful vaulted roofs between the brick belt arches.

The last sight of the tour is the Baalsbruggermolen, which once belonged to the Rolduc Abbey. In the eighteenth century, the mill was used as a corn mill that ground rye and wheat, but it was also used to make oil. The wheels of the oil mill hung at the front against the facade and those of the oil and wheat mill turned on their own water channel. The latter two were demolished halfway through the nineteenth century. Flooding destroyed the remaining water wheel in 1916. A turbine was installed that year. The mill has been a national monument since 1967.