Cultural heritage in Meerssen

Historic Meerssen will surprise and delight

Visiting Meerssen by train gives you the perfect opportunity to admire the city's rich cultural heritage. The historic railway station from 1853, with its quaint, half-timbered signal box, welcomes you to an area dotted with ancient churches, mills, and castles and surrounded by stunning natural beauty.

 

Famous Meerssen artist Charles Eyck left artistic marks throughout the city, as well as a must-see architectural showstopper: the Basilica. This historic highlight was built to commemorate the miracles that transpired here...

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Glas in lood raam in de Basiliek Meerssen

Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament

The Basilica on the market square is also known as the 'showpiece of Mosan Gothic'. The middle section was built around 800 in Romanesque style by Charlemagne. Between 1320 and 1340, monks from Reims built the lower chancel in Gothic style (from the pulpit towards the altar). The middle section was later adapted to this style. The Basilica partially burned down in 1465 and in 1649 the church tower was partially destroyed in a storm. In 1773, it was demolished completely. The Basilica underwent two full restorations in the twentieth century. In 1938, Pope Pius Xi conferred it the status of basilica.

Vliek castle

The original estate was built around 1725 in Louis XIV style. A few old walls near the park wing are all that remains of this original building. Behind the main building, a beautiful courtyard is surrounded by a manor farm, one wing of which boasts a coach house. Next to this house is a park with two ponds, created in the early twentieth century to beautify the older landscape park, which dates from around 1800.

Leopold's Church

Before 1836, the Basilica on the market square served as a simultaneum, or shared church, for both Catholics and Protestants. The relationship between the Catholics and Protestants was strained at best. Belgian King Leopold I, himself a Protestant, gave the Protestants a small church that ultimately bore his name: Leopoldskerkje (Leopold's Church).

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Discover the treasures of Meerssen:

There is still so much to discover in Meerssen:

Waking up in Meerssen

Whether you book a holiday home, a loft apartment, a B&B, or a campsite, you can always expect a warm welcome in Meerssen. Wake up feeling refreshed and ready to explore the beautiful surroundings.

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Hiking & Biking

The green surroundings of Meerssen invite you to hop on your bicycle and put on your walking shoes. Discover a small castle in the forest overlooking a watery habitat that's home to incredible flora and fauna.

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Art in Meerssen

The serene and natural environment in which Meerssen is situated inspires the creation of great art. In fact, an entirely art movement emerged after the Second World War, in the Rothem oil mill along the Geul. Known as the Meerssen School, its most famous artist was Charles Eyck, whose extensive oeuvre gained international acclaim

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