Small Town Touring - Meerssen

Meerssen is easy to get to from anywhere in the Schinnen/Brunssum area since it sits near the junction of A2 and A79. Meerssen was also near the junction of two ancient Roman roads, which is why the town dates back to those days and beyond. One of these roads, the "Via Belgica", started on the French coast, crossed the Maas river at Maastricht, and ran past Meerssen and Heerlen then into Germany.

The first major event to occur in this small town was The Treaty of Meerssen or Mersen, which was a partition treaty of the Carolingian Empire concluded on 8 August 870 by the two surviving sons of Emperor Louis the Pious, King Charles the Bald of West Francia and Louis the German of East Francia.

Around the middle of the 10th century Meerssen was the personal property of queen Gerberga, the daughter of King 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, France. The Basilica in Meerssen started out as a Monastery Church affiliated with the abbey in Reims and it replaced the royal family chapel that was in Meersseen for over 100 years.

The Basilica is probably the most notable feature of the town today due to its age and style. There is an excellent description of the Basilica at this LINK.

The Basilica is open most days until 1700 hrs (5:00 PM) but it is an active church so make sure a service is not being conducted before you walk in.

To the right of the church, if you were looking at it as in the picture above, there is a small strolling park that is very nice. There is a swan pond and a pathway with plenty of benches to sit and relax, enjoy the view, and perhaps have a snack or drink. Be careful if you walk in the grass, the ducks, geese, and swans have been there and there are lots of their droppings.

Across the pond is an ornate and pretty gazebo. It was completely renovated about two years ago and now would be a perfect spot for photographs of your family.

During the history of The Netherlands many outside forces, Spain, Austria, France, and various noble families and even the Catholic Church officials, bought, sold, and traded parts of what is now The Netherlands. Each time this was done, the religious denomination prevalent in the affected areas changed. Churches would change from Catholic to Protestant and back again. Since many small towns and villages only had the means to support one church building, the Protestants and Catholics often had to share buildings. Most of the time this worked out fine but sometimes it was an issue. 

In 1836, Belgian King Leopold I donated money to build four Protestant churches; one each in Beek, Meerssen, Gulpen, and Heerlen. It was not completely altruistic, he was possibly trying to further divide the Catholic and Protestant people. Leopold himself was Protestant. All of these churches are called, "Leopoldskerk", or Leopold's Church. The one in Meerssen is across the street from the back side of the Basilica. I was fortunate enough to see a woman working on the church's grounds and asked her if I could go inside and look around. She said, "sure, but there is not much to see." She was right about that. The church has been deconsecrated and largely striped. Only the organ pipes and lectern remain. The building is being renovated to be a sort of civic hall for ceremonies and meetings.

Also in Meerssen is a former Jewish Synagogue.

Jewish cemetery on Tussen de Bruggen

References to Jews living in Meerssen survive from the late seventeenth century. In 1715, a Jewish cemetery was established at Geulbrugge on the road from Meerssen to Rothem (now called, "Tussen de Bruggen". Another old Jewish cemetery still stands in the former hamlet of Haasdal now part of the village of Schimmert. (I've been to this one too but it is very hard to find.) A sizeable Jewish community did not come into being at Meerssen until the 1770's. At that time, religious services were held in a private home on the corner of the Kerkstraat and the Beekstraat. By 1796, the community utilized a hall in the Steegstraat as its synagogue. During the late eighteenth century the surrounding of Meerssen was plagued by roving gangs of bandits, mostly comprised of Jews.

With the reorganization of Dutch Jewry during the 1820's the Jewish community at Meerssen was declared a regional community (Ringsynagoge) under the aegis of the Jewish community at Maastricht. The Jewish population of Meerssen remained relatively constant throughout the nineteenth century; thereafter, its numbers fell due to the general trend of migration to the more prosperous west of the Netherlands. A new synagogue, located on the Kuileneindestraat, was consecrated in 1853. Official and voluntary organizations at Meerssen included the community directorate and a women's society. The community also provided Jewish education for its children.

By the eve of the Second World War, the Jewish community at Meerssen had become so small that it effectively had ceased to function. Under the wartime German occupation of the Netherlands, almost all the remaining Jews of Meerssen were deported and murdered; only a few managed to escape death in hiding. The synagogue came through the war undamaged despite the theft of part of its contents. The Jewish community at Meerssen was officially dissolved in 1947 and administratively merged into the Jewish community at Maastricht. The synagogue was sold in 1946. What was left of its interior was removed and reinstalled in the synagogue at Maastricht. The former synagogue at Meerssen was heavily damaged by fire in 1977. Later, it was restored by the Kring van Vrienden van de Synagoge Meerssen (The Association of Friends of the Meerssen Synagogue). The former synagogue has served as a social and cultural center since 1989. A Torah scroll originally from Meerssen and later in the possession of the Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam was returned to the former synagogue in 1996. The Jewish cemetery at Meerssen was declared a national monument and later restored. It is currently maintained by the local authorities.

Meerssen has a small but surprisingly busy shopping district. It is not especially pedestrian friendly since the roads are not closed off but the sidewalks are wide and the speed limit is only 30kph. There are a few brand name stores, grocery stores, cafe`s, and pubs in the town. The stores go beyond the obvious area of the downtown district. It wouldn't be a shopping destination for me but if you visit the town you can definitely get something to eat or drink while there.

There are many interesting buildings spread out through the town but none that are exceptionally old (by local standards). These are typical "Maasland" style buildings from the early to mid-1800's.

If you walk or drive south out of Meerssen, past the train station, across the train tracks, toward Rothem and ultimately Maastricht, you will see the Jewish cemetery on your right.  If you continue straight ahead you will come to a traffic circle. Go straight through and under highway A2 and head towards Maastricht. You will pass a Gatehouse for an estate, seen here.  Just a little further on there will be a road to your right that passes by the estate. This road is called Weert Straat. 

Follow that over the railroad tracks and you will come to Kasteel Vaeshartelt. Follow signs to Parking (left of the main building seen here). This former home of King William is now a hotel and conference center. On the grounds is a small restaurant and what they are calling an English Garden. The garden area is open and free to the public during daylight hours.

The information sign says the strolling route would take about an hour of leisurely walking and there are explanatory signs along the way (only in Dutch I am sorry to say). But the signs have old pictures or drawings so you can at least see what the place looked like in its hay day. I walked around a little bit but I was walking to Maastricht so I didn't spend too much time here.

If you walk from Meerssen, it is a pleasant 30 minute walk at the most and it will allow you to stop and see the cemetery and the estate I mentioned above. You might walk up an appetite and then enjoy your own snack while sitting in the garden or buy something at the cafe` on the grounds.

I walked in to Maastricht and that portion of the trip is unrelated to Meerssen. Actually so is Kasteel Vaeshartelt but it is well worth the small side trip for you.

I hope you have a chance to get out and enjoy the small towns in our area.