Weert

Weert is a town in the Dutch province of Limburg. The town borders North Brabant and Belgium and is called The gate of Limburg. The community has almost 50,000 inhabitants.

Understand
Weert is a lively old town between North-Brabant, South-Limburg and Belgium. You can shop and it regularly hosts various events. In the vicinity are beautiful nature areas where you can make lovely walking and cycling tours.

History
Weert was first mentioned in a document in 1062. In that time it belonged to the County of Horn. This county was first governed from Horn, but later Weert became the capital. From that time Weert got an urban relation with canals, ramparts and gates. In 1414 Weert received market rights. Around 1500 the city experienced its golden age. Earl Jacob Ι of Horn built a new castle, called The Neijenborg. The St. Martinus church was built and the monastery was expanded. Due to the distastrous 80 Years War, Weert declined to a country town. The castle was destroyed in 1702 during the War of Succession. The recovery came after the construction of the Zuid-Willemsvaart in 1825. These days, Weert is one of the largest cities in Limburg.

By car
The A2 national highway from Amsterdam to Maastricht passes Weert 30 km south of Eindhoven. Coming from Roermond in the east follow N280 for 24 km. Parking your car in Weert will not be a big problem. There are four parking garages:
 * Stadhuisgarage - Beekstraat 54
 * Ursulinengarage - Nieuwe Markt 5
 * Kromstraat garage - Kromstraat 16
 * Poort van Limburg - Bassin 5

By bus
The bus station is opposite the train station. Line buses to Weert: Local bus lines are 41 and 42 and both will run through the center.
 * Venlo - Line 68
 * Roermond - Lines 73, 74 and 82
 * Stramproy - Line 87
 * Eindhoven - Line 173

By train
Weert is on the InterCity railway between Amsterdam Centraal and Maastricht via Eindhoven with two trains an hour in each direction during the day. Weert also lies on the railway between Schipol and Heerlen via Eindhoven also with two trains an hour in each direction during the day

Get around
To visit the city and the surrounding nature, the bicycle is an excellent means of transport. If you need a short rest and you sit down on a terrace for a cup of coffee, don't forget to order a piece of vlaai. Weert is well-known for its pies (Weerter vlaai) which are richly stuffed and available in many flavors.

See
Weert has been voted the greenest city in the Netherlands. This is not only due to the many green in the city but also to the surrounding nature which are nice places to visit for a walk or for cycling.

Mills
In the municipality of Weert (consisting of Weert and several surrounding villages) many mills can be visited. Basically every Wednesday afternoon and on Saturdays one or more mills are opened for viewing. For information on opening times and making an appointment see the website of Molens in Weert (in Dutch only). There are more mills in Weert which, however, are privately owned and therefore not always open to visitors. A visit to the only watermill in Weert may also be worth it as the mill is situated beautifully in the landscape.

Buy
In the historic center are many shops, retail as well as boutiques and specialty shops. De Munt is a covered shopping mall. There is a theater and a music school. Antiques is for sale in De Stadsbeurs.

Go next
Visit close by Belgium or head further to South Limburg. To the north is Eindhoven the largest city of Southern Netherlands.