View source for Meerssen

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
<!-- Name and transliteration -->
| name                    = Meerssen
| native_name             = {{native name|li|Meersje}}
| settlement_type         = [[List of municipalities of the Netherlands|Municipality]] and town
<!-- Images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline           = Kasteel Geulle.jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = Geulle Castle
| image_flag              = Meerssen vlag.svg
| flag_size               = 100x67px
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Coat of arms of Meerssen.svg
| shield_size             = 100x80px
| shield_alt              = 
<!-- Maps, coordinates -->
| image_map               = Map - NL - Municipality code 0938 (2009).svg
| map_alt                 = Highlighted position of Meerssen in a municipal map of Limburg
| map_caption             = Location in Limburg
| coordinates             = {{coord|50|53|N|5|45|E|region:NL|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of the Netherlands|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="mayor_now">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.meerssen.nl/gmr/webgen.nsf/pages/DE5DB8EC059BCE03C1256B8400509B10?opendocument
 |title       = Burgemeester
 |trans-title = Mayor
 |language    = nl
 |publisher   = Gemeente Meerssen
 |access-date  = 11 November 2013
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131111170146/http://www.meerssen.nl/gmr/webgen.nsf/pages/DE5DB8EC059BCE03C1256B8400509B10?opendocument
 |archive-date = 11 November 2013
}}</ref>
| governing_body          = [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|Municipal council]]
| leader_party            = [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|VVD]]
| leader_title            = [[Burgemeester|Mayor]]
| leader_name             = [[Mirjam Clermonts-Aretz]]
<!-- Geographic information -->
| unit_pref               = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref>{{Dutch municipality total area|dataref}}</ref>
<!-- square kilometers -->
| area_total_km2          = {{Dutch municipality total area|Meerssen}}
| area_land_km2           = {{Dutch municipality land area|Meerssen}}
| area_water_km2          = {{Dutch municipality water area|Meerssen}}
| elevation_footnotes     = <ref name="AHN">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool 
 |title=Postcodetool for 6231LE 
 |language=nl 
 |work=Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland 
 |publisher=Het Waterschapshuis 
 |access-date=11 November 2013 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053543/http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool 
 |archive-date=21 September 2013 
}}</ref>
| elevation_m             = 57
| elevation_max_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_max_m         =
| elevation_min_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_min_m         =
<!-- Population, demographics -->
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{Dutch municipality population|dataref}}</ref>
| population_total        = {{Dutch municipality population|Meerssen}}
| population_as_of        = {{MONTHNAME|{{Dutch municipality population|popbasemonth}}}} {{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}
| population_density_km2  = {{Dutch municipality population density|Meerssen}} <!-- For automatic calculation: auto-->
| population_demonym      = Meerssenaar
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in the Netherlands|Postcode]]
| postal_code             = 6230–6243
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the Netherlands|Area code]]
| area_code               = 043
| website                 = {{URL|1=http://www.meerssen.nl}}
| footnotes               =
}}
[[File:Gem-Meerssen-OpenTopo.jpg|thumb|260px|''Dutch Topographic map of Meerssen, June 2015'']]

'''Meerssen''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈmeːrsə(n)|lang|148 Meerssen.ogg}}; {{langx|li|Meersje}} {{IPA|li|ˈmeːʀʃə|}}) is a town and a [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] in southeastern [[Netherlands]].

==History==
The [[Treaty of Meerssen]] was signed in Meerssen in 870. The Treaty of Meerssen was an agreement of the division of the [[Carolingian Empire]] by the surviving sons of [[Louis the Pious|Louis I]]: [[Charles II of France|Charles II]] of the [[West Franks]] and [[Louis the German]] of the [[East Franks]].

Around the middle of the 10th century the [[allodium]] Meerssen was the property of queen [[Gerberga of Saxony|Gerberga]], the daughter of king [[Henry the Fowler|Henry I]]. She was the spouse of [[Louis IV of France]]. In 968 she donated all her property to the abbey of [[Saint Remigius]] in [[Reims]].

== Population centres ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=12em|
* [[Bunde, Netherlands|Bunde]]
* [[Geulle]]
* Meerssen
* Rothem
* [[Ulestraten]]
}}

==Transportation==

Railway station: [[Meerssen railway station|Meerssen]]

[[File:Meerssen, de basiliek van het Heilig Sacrament RM28446 IMG 8284 2021-02-21 14.51.jpg|260px|thumb|Basilica: Basiliek van het Heilig Sacrament, de Sint-Bartholomeusbasiliek]]

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Netherlands}}

===Twin towns – sister cities===
Meerssen is a founding member of the [[Douzelage]], a [[town twinning]] association of 24 towns across the [[European Union]]. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals.<ref name="Douzelage">{{cite web |url=http://www.douzelage.org/ |title=Douzelage.org: Home |publisher=www.douzelage.org |access-date=2009-10-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217044329/http://www.douzelage.org/ |archive-date=2010-02-17 }}</ref><ref name="DouzelageMembers">{{cite web |url=http://www.douzelage.org/index.php?id=15 |title=Douzelage.org: Member Towns |publisher=www.douzelage.org |access-date=2009-10-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406142434/http://www.douzelage.org/index.php?id=15 |archive-date=2009-04-06 }}</ref>  Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns ([[Agros, Cyprus|Agros]] in [[Cyprus]], [[Škofja Loka]] in [[Slovenia]], and [[Tryavna]] in [[Bulgaria]]).
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Altea]], [[Spain]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Bad Kötzting]], [[Germany]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Bellagio (Italian region)|Bellagio]], [[Italy]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Bundoran]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Granville, Manche|Granville]], [[France]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Holstebro]], [[Denmark]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Houffalize]], [[Belgium]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|NED}} Meerssen, [[Netherlands]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|LUX}} [[Niederanven]], [[Luxembourg]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|GRE}} [[Preveza]], [[Greece]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|POR}} [[Sesimbra]], [[Portugal]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Sherborne]], [[United Kingdom]] - 1991
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Karkkila]], [[Finland]] - 1997
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Oxelösund]], [[Sweden]] - 1998
* {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Judenburg]], [[Austria]] - 1999
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Chojna]], [[Poland]] - 2004
* {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Kőszeg]], [[Hungary]] - 2004
* {{flagicon|LVA}} [[Sigulda]], [[Latvia]] - 2004
* {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Sušice]], [[Czech Republic]] - 2004
* {{flagicon|EST}} [[Türi]], [[Estonia]] - 2004
* {{flagicon|SVK}} [[Zvolen]], [[Slovakia]] - 2007
* {{flagicon|LTU}} [[Prienai]], [[Lithuania]] - 2008
* {{flagicon|MLT}} [[Marsaskala]], [[Malta]] - 2009
* {{flagicon|ROU}} [[Siret]], [[Romania]] - 2010
* {{flagicon|BGR}} [[Tryavna]], [[Bulgaria]] - 2011
}}

== Notable people ==
* [[Charles Eyck]] (1897 in Meerssen - 1983) a Dutch visual artist
* [[Hubert Levigne]] (1905 in Meerssen - 1989) a Dutch artist
* [[Gerard Kockelmans]] (1925 in Meerssen - 1965) a Dutch composer, conductor and music teacher
* [[Jef Lahaye]] (1932 in Bunde – 1990) a Dutch professional racing cyclist
* [[Maria van der Hoeven]] (born 1949 in Meerssen) a retired Dutch politician
* [[Erik Meijer (footballer)|Erik Meijer]] (born 1969 in Meerssen) a retired Dutch footballer with 462 club caps
* [[Kyara Stijns]] (born 1995 in Bunde) a Dutch professional racing cyclist

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Geulle-Westbroek 59 (1).JPG|Geulle-Westbroek
File:Old farm near Meerssen (South Limburg, Netherlands 2008) (2476530208).jpg|Old farm near Meerssen
File:Overzicht van een der vleugels van de herenhof - Bunde - 20406639 - RCE.jpg|Overzicht van een der vleugels van de herenhof - Bunde
File:Ulestraten-De nar van Ulestraten (3).JPG|Ulestraten-De nar van Ulestraten
File:Ulestraten-Groot Berghem 13.JPG|Ulestraten-Groot Berghem
</gallery>
==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.meerssen.nl Official website]

<!--Please note that not all directions need to be filled-->
<!--Please note that preferably only neighboring municipalities or bodies of water should be used-->
{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Meerssen
|North     = [[Stein, Limburg|Stein]]
|Northeast = [[Beek]]
|East      = [[Beekdaelen]]
|Southeast = [[Valkenburg aan de Geul]]
|South     = [[Maastricht]]
|Southwest = 
|West      = [[Lanaken]]{{space}}([[Belgium|BE]]-[[Limburg (Belgium)|VLI]]) / ''[[Meuse (river)|Meuse]]''
|Northwest = [[Maasmechelen]]{{space}}([[Belgium|BE]]-[[Limburg (Belgium)|VLI]]) / ''[[Meuse (river)|Meuse]]''
}}
{{Dutch municipality Meerssen}}
{{Limburg Province (Netherlands)}}
{{Douzelage}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Meerssen| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:South Limburg (Netherlands)]]