Historic sites along the border

Along the edge of the Limburg capital Maastricht are picturesque villages and the border with Belgium. These play the leading role in this route, which also introduces you to a piece of the land of our southern neighbours. The rolling plain offers magnificent views over seas of greenery. The village of Cadier en Keer is surrounded by rustic farmlands, old forests and two vineyards; a spectacular panorama! You then cycle on to the Meschermolen. The Meschermolen is an overshot water mill from 1699. It was used as a corn mill and it is the first water mill on the Voer stream. The mill served for centuries and was only shut down in the early 1950s. The mill was no longer needed at that time, because an electric hammer mill was installed in the village. Between 1996 and 1998, the mill was restored and made ready to grind again. The mill can be viewed by appointment. The last mill you will encounter during your bike ride is the Graanmolen van Eijsden. This water mill was built in 1857. This mill, which was used as a corn mill, replaces its predecessor that was built in 1788. One of the three couples present can be electrically driven so that the mill could also run at low water. The mill was in use until the early 1950s and then fell into disrepair. The mill was last restored in 1975 but is no longer used. The last sight on the route is Castle Libeek. Until 2011, Libeek, or Liebik as the Limburgers call it, was part of Margraten. The place was founded in the thirteenth century and the Libeek farm is located in the town, the oldest parts of which also date from the thirteenth century. A knightly house once stood on this site, but after the castle changed hands in the sixteenth century, the fortress was gradually converted into a tenant farm. Libeek has the largest farmhouse in Limburg, which surrounds a square courtyard, and the house, which is made of marlstone, was built and improved in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.