Roermond Limburgish: Remunj) is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.
Roermond is an historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received town rights in 1231. Roermond town centre has been designated as a conservation area.
Through the centuries the town has filled the role of commercial centre, principal town in the duchy of Guelders and since 1559 it has served as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond. The skyline of the historic town is dominated by the towers of its two churches: St. Christopher Cathedral and Roermond Minster or ‘Munsterkerk’ in Dutch. In addition to important churches, the town centre has many listed buildings and monuments.
Roermond is encircled by a green belt, which offers many opportunities for hiking and cycling. To the east nature reserves, such as the Meinweg National Park, the valley of the Leu (Leudal) and the Swalm and Roer rivers, provide woodlands, heath and meadows. The Meinweg also contains a small amount of wildlife including a small group of vipers, the only venomous snake to live in the Netherlands. To the west the Meuse River and its lake area, known as “Maasplassen“, offer opportunities for water recreation.
Since 2001 Roermond is home to a McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, which has become one of the largest and most successful designer outlets in Europe with an average of almost six million customers per year, making it one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Netherlands. In 2017 it reached 200 shops following its latest expansion.
Roermond’s old town centre is home to several historic monuments, including:
- Cuypershuis
- Munsterkerk
- Stateroom of city hall
- The old cemetery
- Kapel in ‘t Zand
- Roermond City Hall
- St. Christopher Cathedral
- Carolus chapel
- National Indiëmonument
- Kasteeltje Hattem
- Rattentoren
- The Galgeberg is a small hill in Roermond. It is in the Kapel in ‘t Zand-area of Roermond. “Galgeberg” is Dutch for “gallows hill”. Once criminals were hanged or burned here. In 1613, 64 witches were burned here; it was the biggest witch trial in Dutch history.
