Enjoy a tour of Maastricht (cycle route: 159119) - route.nlroute.nl

Cycling through the heart of Maastricht, along the banks of the river and over the Maasboulevard, is a great experience. Here you can taste the atmosphere of the Limburg capital and it becomes clear why Maastricht is known as one of the nicest cities in the Netherlands. The trip across the hilly plateau in the south of the municipality of Maastricht is a challenge. Sint-Pietersberg is best known for the Limburg marl that is extracted there and the tunnel systems have become a true tourist attraction. On and against the mountain are beautiful fortresses and castles, which revive old times and atmospheres. The longest walking route in the Netherlands starts (or ends) at the top of Sint-Pietersberg. With an interactive and permanent exhibition, the'Maison de la Montagne Saint-Pierre\\\' museum is the ideal place to get acquainted with the unique Sint-Pietersberg. About 40 houses make up the hamlet. There are many historical elements in the hamlet if you know where to look. Despite the small scale, you can find two closed square farms, but also a monumental farm that dates from the seventeenth century despite its nineteenth-century construction, a former monastery in which apartments have been made and an old farm with remnants of a square tower and a covered well .Stop along the way at the Molen van Lombok in the Sint Pieter district of Maastricht. The medium-sized windmill originally dates from around 1500 and was built on the left bank of the Jeker, a branch of the Maas. There used to be two marl mill buildings; one was used as a grain mill, the other as an oil mill. Only the grain mill still has an iron mill wheel from 1937. This building, which remained in operation until 1960, is therefore still referred to as'the mill of Lombok\\\'. In Eijsden is the castle of the same name, which is also called \ \'de Borg\\\' or'Laag Caestertburg\\\' is called. The present castle was built in 1636, rebuilt in 1767 and then restored. This national monument consists of two wings that are perpendicular to each other, both of which have a heavy corner tower on the outside. The whole is surrounded by a moat and the castle has a gatehouse with forecourt. The park, laid out in 1900, is freely accessible. Get off your bike in Libeek to admire the castle. 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 farm 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.Beyond Sibbe, near Wolfshuis, there is a belt mill from 1855: the Van Tienhoven mill. What is special about this mill is that it is the only mill in the Netherlands that is largely built from marl stones. The high place where the mill was finally built was favorable because of the windage. Whichever side you approach the mill from, it is always visible from afar.