Speaker at lively conference ‘Maastricht 200 years on the frontier of the Netherlands, in the middle of Europe’

Maastricht tweehonderd jaar aan de grens in Nederland, centraal in Europa (Maastricht 200 years on the frontier of the Netherlands, in the middle of Europe) was the title of a lively conference in Centre Céramique on 20 September 2015, organized by the city of Maastricht on occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands founded in 1813-1815. The aim of the conference, presided by former minister Maria van der Hoeven, was to discuss Maastricht’s history since 1813 in view of its aspirations for the future in a national and transnational context.

In his opening speech Theo Bovens, Commissioner of the King in the Province of Limburg and himself a historian by education, underlined that Maastricht in the last two centuries never really opened itself up, neither to its neighbours nor to the world in general. Lita Wiggers, director of the Regional Historical Center Limburg, recalled the early nineteenth century and Maastricht’s Belgian sympathies. Historian Jos Perry (FASoS) stressed a paradox: since 1867 dismantled as a military fortress, Maastricht remained the next hundred years a fortress in a mental sense. The so-called catholic emancipation turned out to be a dogged war against modernization. Joop van den Berg, retired professor at Leiden and Maastricht universities, called Maastricht a pampered, spoiled city. While Heerlen and Sittard-Geleen lost their coal mines and prosperity, Maastricht hit the jackpot and got a new medical faculty, soon to develop into a full-fledged university. In free and easy reaction on comments from the audience, Maastricht’s new mayor Annemarie Penn-te Strake set forth her intentions and plans for the future.

This conference is part of the Arts, Media and Culture programme.

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