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 part of the country of our southern neighbours. The sloping 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! Then you cycle to the Meschermolen. The Meschermolen is an overshot watermill from 1699. It was used as a corn mill and it is the first watermill on the Voer brook. The mill has served for centuries and was not shut down until the early 1950's. The mill was then no longer needed, because an electric hammer mill was built 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 flour 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 in use. The last point of interest on the route is Libeek Castle. Until 2011, Libeek, or Liebik as the Limburgers call it, was part of Margraten. The place was founded in the thirteenth century and in the village is the farm Libeek, the oldest parts of which also date from the thirteenth century. Once there was a knightly house on this site, but after the castle got another owner in the sixteenth century, the fortress was gradually converted into a leasehold farm. Libeek has the largest Limburg farm that surrounds a square courtyard and the house, which is built from marl stone, was built and improved in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.