This is the region where you shop for groceries in Aachen (D) when you live in Vaals (NL) or in Kelmis (B). Somewhere you can enjoy a family breakfast at the kitchen table in the Selfkant (D), bring your children to school and go on to work in Sittard (NL) then visit a concert in Liège (B) in the evening.
Europe in miniature
Everyday life across borders
A glowing example of European cooperation and shared everyday life of high quality, the Euregio Meuse-Rhine already has a number of accolades under its belt: Aachen was selected as the Best Expat City in Germany (Internations 2019), Belgium offers a diversity in education and international schools and the Netherlands achieves the best work / life balance (OECD 2018/2019).
The Euregio Meuse-Rhine is working on making the best possible connections. Within the reach of less than one hour, it unites three countries, four million inhabitants and five regions. Approximately 26,000 people are cross-border commuters, and large numbers of internationals come to study or further their academic career.
The treaty to form the European Union as it is today – the Maastricht Treaty
Esperanto became an official language for the first time – in the state-like territory Neutral-Moresnet, located close to Drielandenpunt where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. |
RWTH Aachen with its more than 40,000 students is Germany’s largest technical university, Maastricht University has the highest number of international students in the Netherlands, with more than 8,000 international students enrolled – that is approx 45% of their entire student population.
The longest street divided by a state border – Nieuwstraat/
Neustraße in Kerkrade (NL) and Herzogenrath (DE). Both form the first municipality without borders – “Eurode”.
If you are looking for another special street, “la Batte”, Belgium’s largest flee market in Liège, is the place to be on a Sunday morning.
On the outside Uniklinikum Aachen looks like like a universe of pipes and everything that “normal” buildings would secretly hide inside their walls. This world-renowned university hospital employs approx 800 staff from across Belgium and the Netherlands. |
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Tongeren (BE), Maastricht (NL) and Germany’s first Unesco World Heritage Site – Aachener Dom, which was the capital of Charlemagne’s empire.
The German speaking community of East Belgium is one of the world’s smallest governments with just as much power to stop huge trade deals like the US-EU deal on TTIP. It is one of five regions that agreed to form the legal body of European Cross-border Cooperation Groupings, defining the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.
Gaia-Zoo (Kerkrade, NL) was voted “Most beautiful tourist attraction” in the Netherlands in 2020. The Euregio Meuse-Rhine also features Europe’s largest indoor-skiing arena (Landgraaf NL); Pinkpop, one of the oldest continuous music festivals ( Landgraaf NL) and Pukkelpop, one of the world’s largest music festivals (near Hasselt, BE).
The Euregio Meuse-Rhine is home to the highest mountains in both the Netherlands and Belgium – Vaalserberg and Signal de Botrange; as well as Tagebau Hambach, the deepest and possibly most controversial mine in all of Europe.
Highlights mapped:
Cooperation across three countries
Enjoy three countries at the same time and enjoy a magnificent view from the highest point of the Netherlands at Drielandenpunt. A bit further north you can experience real-time ‘border-hopping’ along the two kilometres of Nieuwstraat in Kerkrade (NL), where Herzogenrath, Germany is just a few steps away.
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We are very proud to form such a colourful mosaic and invite you to add yourself to this diverse beauty of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. Not just in the wider sense, but the small-project funds and others actually provide funding for your ideas – in larger or smaller scale.
From antique markets on an early Sunday morning in Tongeren (BE), to exquisite Belgian frites from a typical ‘frituur’ for lunch, and an afternoon stroll through the countryside next to the limestone caves of Maastricht (NL) – enjoy the quality of life without borders.
List of partner regions and districts:
Public transport
The map below and its connections is the result of several ambitious projects and continued effort to improve transport infrastructures. Despite challenges, there is already a wide range of bus and train connections at reasonable prices, and a common “Euregioticket”. Find more information in our dedicated section on euregional public transport.
