Steyl

Steyl (Limburgish: Sjteil) is a village in the municipality of Venlo (Tegelen district) in the Netherlands and is best known as a monastery village.

Location

Steyl is situated on the right bank of the river Meuse in Limburg (Netherlands). A ferry connects Steyl with Baarlo. In the past, Steyl has often had to deal with floods when the Meuse has burst its banks. The last two major floods were in 1993 and 1995. During these floods, much of Old Steyl was flooded. Steyl is divided into two areas:

History

Merchant town

In the late Middle Ages and modern times, Steyl was a port on the Meuse for unloading marl, wine, coal and other items for the Gulick. This brought great wealth to Steyler merchants, especially in the 18th century. Some merchants, such as the Moubis family, built large mansions from the revenues earned by their trade (viz. the Moubis estate). The old port on the Meuse is now gone but the houses still form a picturesque village panorama of a glorious past. The Moubis estate was eventually sold to a monastic community of nuns which then significantly expanded it with a church and monastery buildings.