Limbourg

Limbourg stands on a rock spur above the Vesdre and was the capital of the Duchy of Limburg, a territory that gave its name to the modern Belgian and Dutch provinces even though it lay in neither, and it was fortified and fought over repeatedly before being dismantled by the French in 1675. What survives is a small walled town on the spur: a long cobbled square, the Place Saint-Georges, planted with lime trees and lined with stone and brick houses of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the church of Saint George with a heavy tower, stretches of rampart and a gate. It is listed among the most beautiful villages of Wallonia. Almost nothing has been added since, and the modern town of Dolhain lies below in the valley.

History

The name ends in burg, a fortified town, and the first part may come from lint, dragon, from the Roman limes or from lime, or, as Jean-Louis Kupper proposes, from Limburg Abbey in Germany, chosen by the castle's founder, Frederick. Built on a hill ringed by the Vesdre, the town was easy to defend, became the seat of the dukes of Limburg in the Lower Lorraine of the Holy Roman Empire, and in 1703 fell to the English and Dutch under the Duke of Marlborough (Wikipedia, Limbourg).

Highlights

• The cobbled Place Saint-Georges - a long lime-planted square on the spur.
• Stretches of rampart and gate - what the 1675 dismantling left.
• The church of Saint George - the heavy tower over the town.
• The spur position - the Vesdre valley below on both sides.

When to go

April to October. Two hours. The square is open ground at all hours. Weekday mornings are almost empty. The climb from Dolhain station is steep.

Good to know

It is very small and two hours is generous; there is one square and a church. Facilities amount to a couple of cafes with limited hours. The climb from the valley is steep. Parking on the spur is very restricted.

Nearby

Verviers is south-west; Eupen and the High Fens lie east.

Key facts