South Limburg (Netherlands)

South Limburg (Dutch: Zuid-Limburg, Limburgish: Zui-Limburg or Zuud-Limburg) is both a COROP (statistical) region as well as a landstreek (area) of the Netherlands located in the province of Limburg. The Dutch term landstreek, literally translated "land area/region", means that the area is not an administrative region but an area that displays cohesion with regards to culture and landscape. With regards to South Limburg this deals with its hilly landscape, especially in the Heuvelland region, sunken lanes, an abundance of castles, and the regional language Limburgish spoken by a significant part of the population alongside Dutch. The region also contains the highest point above sea level in mainland Netherlands, the Vaalserberg being 322.5 m above sea level (the highest point of the entire country is in the Caribbean Netherlands' island of Saba, namely Mount Scenery being 877 m above sea level).

The region South Limburg in addition, although extended a little further north to Roermond, forms a constituent part of the Euroregion Meuse-Rhine.

Estate region Maastricht-Meerssen

Borgharen Castle in the town of Borgharen in the estate region.

The estate region Maastricht-Meerssen (Dutch: Landgoederenzone Maastricht - Meerssen) is the name for an area stretching from the northeastern parts of Maastricht to the south of Meerssen that is characterised by a large number of estates. The area is crossed by three rivers (namely the Meuse, Geul and Kanjel). A majority of said estates have been built (or renovated) by the 19th century Maastrichtian industrialist Petrus Regout and his descendants. Challenges to transforming the entire region into a recreational area are posed by the crossing of the A2 motorway and various railways through the area as well as the industrial area of Beatrixhaven.

The region spans six neighbourhoods of Maastricht namely:

Amby: homestead Withuishof, homestead Gravenhof, house Severen, homestead Hagenhof (or Tiendschuur van Amby) and castle Geuselt
Nazareth: castle Mariënwaard (La Grande Suisse), villa Petite Suisse and villa Kruisdonk
Limmel: castles Bethlehem and Jerusalem
Meerssenhoven: castles Vaeeshartelt and Meerssenhoven and villa Klein Vaeshartelt
Itteren*: homestead Hartelstein
Borgharen*: Borgharen castle and homestead Wiegershof

(* some publications do not include Itteren and Borgharen in the estate region)

And in Meerssen:

Weert: homestead Weerterhof and villa Zonnevang
Rothem: mill IJzeren Molen

Municipalities

The South Limburg contains these administrative municipalities (gemeentes):

Beek
Brunssum
Eijsden
Gulpen-Wittem
Heerlen
Kerkrade
Landgraaf
Maastricht (capital of the entire Limburg province)
Margraten
Meerssen

Cities

Name	Population	Notes
Maastricht	118.355
Heerlen	89.347	Does not have historical city rights
Kerkrade	48.054	Does not have historical city rights
Sittard	36.960
Geleen	33.960
Stein	26.325	Does not have historical city rights
Valkenburg aan de Geul	6020