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For other uses, see Limburg (disambiguation).

Limburg is the name of two adjoining provinces under the jurisdiction of two separate nations:

• Limburg (Netherlands), in the south of the Netherlands. Its capital is Maastricht.
• Limburg (Belgium), in the Flanders region of Belgium. Its capital is Hasselt.

History

Main articles: Duchy of Limburg, Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg (Belgium)

The name Limburg originates from the small town Limbourg. It was a duchy south of current Dutch-Limburg, and partly in what is now the Pays d'Herve, in the Belgian province Liège.

In 1814, after the liberation of what is now Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (Old collective name: the Lowlands, or Low Countries; now the Benelux), the area united as one country, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. When the Catholic, French Belgians split away from the mainly Calvinist, Dutch Netherlands in 1830, the province of Limburg was first under Belgian rule. In 1839 Limburg was split in two, as Dutch-Limburg and Belgian-Limburg. The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg was also created by the split, as it was no longer contiguous to The Netherlands.

Thus, currently, Limburg's namegiver Limbourg is no longer located in the Dutch province of Limburg itself, but in the Belgium province of Liège. Most regions of the current provinces of "Limburg" do not have a historical connection to the old Duchy of Limburg.

Language

Main articles: Limburgish language, Dutch language

Since Limburg is located in Flanders and the Netherlands, the official language in Limburg is Dutch, but Limburgish language, which has many divergent dialects, is spoken almost throughout the region. Though it is still quite often referred to as a group of Dutch dialects, the status of Limburgish has been upgraded thanks to European legislation, whereas the Belgian national authorities refrain from being supportive. In the Netherlands the Limburgish language receives moderate protection under chapter 2 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In German sources, the dialects linguistically counting as Limburgish spoken east from the river Rhine are often called "Bergisch".

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