The Meuse is a 950 km long, important river in Western Europe. A journey along its banks leads through different types of landscape. From Troussey at Commercy in France, the river can be explored by boat as far as the North Sea. See also for tips on planning your trip Maas cycle route.
Regions
Partial landscapes
- Langres plateau. The Meuse rises here at 409 m in Pouilly-en-Bassigny (commune of Le Châtelet-sur-Meuse) in the department of Haut-Marne. Other rivers that have their source in this area are Seine, Marne and Aube.
- French and Belgian Ardennes. Here the river meanders very strongly and forms impressive landscapes. In France, however, the Meuse was often dammed in order to regulate its decay. In Givet Franco-Belgian border.
- From Namur the Meuse flows northeast through the industrial region of Liege Basin. From Liege north again.
- In Eijsden, shortly before Maastricht is the border between Belgium and the Netherlands. Between Maastricht and Maaseik the Meuse forms the Grenzmaas between the two states. Here, too, the river meanders very strongly. The Julianakanaal was therefore laid out on the Dutch side for shipping. The meandering and flooding have ensured that the Meuse has often moved its bed. Dead arms of the Meuse are the result. The gravel deposits created by the meandering were exploited many times in the 20th century. This created the MaasplassenLandscape around Roermond.
- From Boxmeer the Meuse bends in a wide left curve to the west and forms the provincial border between here Gelderland and North Brabant. Except 's-Hertogenbosch, which with its municipality has come as far as the Meuse, there are only small fortress towns on the Meuse: Grave, Ravenstein, Blessings and Heusden.
- Bergsche Maas. From Heusden, the Maas originally flowed to the northwest in the direction of the northwest Dordrecht and Rotterdam. In 1904 the river behind Heusden was interrupted: this part is now the Afgedamde Maas called. It is connected to the Meuse near Heusden via the Heusdens Kanaal. The current course of the river goes from Heusden over the Bergsche Maas and the Amer westwards to the Hollandsch Diep, an old estuary in the Rhine-Maas-Scheldt Delta. About the delta arms Haringvliet (North) and Grevelingen (South) the Meuse finally flows into the North Sea.
- Originally the Meuse and the Waal at the castle Loevesrein near Gorinchem together and continued their way as Merwede away. Behind Dordrecht was the name of the water then Northto as Oude Maas in the Nieuwe Maas and then atHook of Holland to flow into the North Sea ..
Metropolitan areas
Several large cities and two metropolitan areas have formed on the Meuse:
- Metropolitan area Liege BasinHuy/Liege / Liège
- Randstad agglomeration - southern part around Rotterdam and Dordrecht.
Neighboring regions
in close proximity to the Maas
States / regions / places
(Downstream)
France
Region: Lorraine (French Lorraine)
Region: Champagne-Ardenne
Belgium
Netherlands
- Peovinz Limburg
- province North Brabant
Other goals
Important tributaries
Left of the Meuse:
- Bar (empties downstream of Sedan)
- Sormonne (ends at Charleville-Mezieres)
- Viroin (flows out at Vireux-Molhain)
- Molignée (ends at Anhée)
- Sambre (ends at Namur])
- Mehaigne (ends at Huy)
- Voer (flows into Eijsden)
- Jeker / Le Geer (ends at Maastricht)
- Dieze (ends at 's-Hertogenbosch)
- Aa (ends at 's-Hertogenbosch)
- Binnendieze (ends at 's-Hertogenbosch)
- Dommel (ends at 's-Hertogenbosch)
- Roode Vaart (flows into Moerdijk)
- Donge (ends at Geertruidenberg)
Right of the Meuse:
- Mouzon (ends at [[Neufchâteau)))
- Vair (flows into Maxey-sur-Meuse)
- Aroffe (flows into Rigny-la-Salle)
- Chiers (flows into Remilly-Aillicourt)
- Semois / Sensbach (flows into Monthermé)
- Lesse (ends at Dinant-Anseremme)
- Bocq (flows into Yvoir)
- Hoyoux (ends at Huy)
- Ourthe (ends at Liege)
- Geul (ends at Meerssen)
- Roer / Rur (ends at Roermond)
- Swalm / Schwalm (flows into Swalmen)
- Niers (ends at Gennep)
further course as Bergsche Maas, Amer, Hollandsch Diep and Haringvliet (northern branch) / Volkerak, Krammer and Grevelingen (southern branch).
further river landscapes
closely related to the Meuse
other neighboring waters
background
language
The Meuse reaches the following language areas:
- French (there it is called La Meuse)
- Dutch
getting there
mobility
The Meuse is largely navigable and, from Belgium, it is accompanied by various transport axes:
- Railway lines
- Federal highways and their counterparts in neighboring states
- Bike paths
By train
By bicycle
The Meuse is largely supported by the Maas cycle route accompanied.
shipping
Tourist Attractions
activities
- To go biking
- water sports
Hiking in the nature park on the Meuse
kitchen
- As the Meuse reaches various European cultural areas, cooking habits will change.