Netherlands: The Marktplein, Maastricht
by Steve Vogel
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Panoramic photo by
Steve Vogel
Taken 05:04, 17/12/2011
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Netherlands: The Marktplein, Maastricht |
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View along the Marktplein, the old central Market Square. In the center lies the Stadhuis (Townhall) built by Pieter Post in dutch baroque style. The Marktplein is beautifully sorrounded by guild houses and hosts a wares market on Wed and Fri mornings.
Maastricht market place with old town hall and new Mosae Forum by Jo Coenen, architects.
Dating back to the 13th century, the structure was a Dominican church until Maastricht was invaded by...
St. Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church situated on historic Boschstraat Street. The church is...
Upon crossing the Sint Servaas bridge, you arrive on the Maastrichter Brugstraat, one of the main ent...
St. Servaas (Servatius) is the patron saint of Maastricht. He was the bishop of Tongres (a Belgian ci...
The square at night in front of the st Servaas basilica in Maastricht
From the Keizer Karelplein (Charlemagne Square) you enter the northern portal into the Saint Servaas ...
The Roman catholic Basilica of Saint Servaas, situated in Maastricht (The Netherlands) at the Vrijtho...
The Stokstraat quarter, or Stokstraatkwartier, is one of the most attractive and expensive shopping a...
Maastricht gezien vanaf het noord-oost uitkijk platform van de st.Jan toren aan het Vrijthof.
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.
