Netherlands: View Along the Maastrichter Brugstraat, Maastricht
by Steve Vogel
Share
License
 Loading ...
Panoramic photo by
Steve Vogel
Taken 12:04, 24/12/2011
- Views |
||
Netherlands: View Along the Maastrichter Brugstraat, MaastrichtThe World > Europe > Netherlands |
|
|
Upon crossing the Sint Servaas bridge, you arrive on the Maastrichter Brugstraat, one of the main entrances into the old town's center and lined with many shops.
The Stokstraat quarter, or Stokstraatkwartier, is one of the most attractive and expensive shopping a...
Maastricht may not be a canal city, but its history and identity has always been wrapped around the M...
Maastricht may not be a canal city, but its history and identity has always been wrapped around the M...
The Onze Lieve Vrouweplein ("The Square of Our Dear Lady") is a square in the centre of Maastricht in...
A view from the back of the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk along the Stokstraat. The Stokstraat area used to ...
The Roman Catholic Basilica of Our Lady is a Romanesque basilica in Maastricht, dedicated to Our Lady...
View of the intersection of Graanmarkt and Stokstraat across from the Maas river. The Stokstraat is ...
View along the Marktplein, the old central Market Square. In the center lies the Stadhuis (Townhall) ...
Dating back to the 13th century, the structure was a Dominican church until Maastricht was invaded by...
Maastricht market place with old town hall and new Mosae Forum by Jo Coenen, architects.
Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.
The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.
Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".
Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights.
In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states.
Text by Steve Smith.
