Located on both sides of the
Meuse river, at the point where the
Jeker River joins it,
Maastricht has become known in nowadays by way of the
Maastricht Treaty, as the birthplace of the
European Union, European citizenship, and the single European currency, the
euro. It developed from a
Belgic settlement, that in the
Gallic Wars was conquered by the
Romans. As part of the heartland of the
Carolingian Empire, the city was an early Christian diocese until it lost this position to nearby
Liège in the early 8th century. It received city rights in 1204, and throughout the Middle Ages it remained a centre for trade and manufacturing of wool and leather, but gradually economic decline set in. After a period of prosperity in the 15th century, its economy suffered during the wars of religion, and recovery didn't happen until the industrial revolution in the early 19th century. Because its geographical and cultural proximity to
Belgium, integration of Maastricht into the
Netherlands didn't come about easily, retaining a distinctly non-Dutch appearance during much of the 19th century.
