Discover 8 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Roermond (Netherlands). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Hillenraad Castle, Sint-Christoffelkathedraal, and Munsterkerk. Also, be sure to include National East Indies monument in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Roermond (Limburg).
Table of Contents
Hillenraad Castle
Hillenraad Castle is a 14th century square water castle located on the south side of Swalmen in the municipality of Roermond in the province of Limburg. The castle is located in the middle of an estate near the village of Boukoul. It consists of a moated main building with four corner towers, an outer castle, several outbuildings and a castle park. Hillenraad Castle has been a protected national monument since 1970. The entire complex consists of twenty separate entries in the national monument register, including the main building, the outbuildings and a number of elements in the park. The castle is not open to the public.[1]
Sint-Christoffelkathedraal
Church in Roermond, Netherlands. St. Christopher's Cathedral in the Dutch city of Roermond is the main church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond. It is dedicated to Saint Christopher.[2]
Address: Grote Kerkstraat 2, 6041 CR Roermond
Munsterkerk
Church in Roermond. The Munsterkerk is a 13th-century church dedicated to Our Lady in the Dutch town of Roermond. Its remarkable front towers are 55 meter in height. The Munsterkerk is one of the most important examples of Late Romanesque architecture in the Netherlands. The Roermond Minster is the only surviving part of an abbey, the rest of which was demolished in 1924. The church was renovated by architect P. J. H. Cuypers between 1863 and 1890; during this renovation, the two front towers were added while after a smaller baroque bell tower on the nave was removed, and the originally octagonal eastern towers were replaced by square ones. The renovation of the Roermond Minster was highly controversial, but Cuypers continued to renovate the Minster according to his plan.
In 1992, the church was damaged by an earthquake which destroyed the two eastern towers, which were rebuilt shortly after.
The church is a Rijksmonument, and is part of the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites.[3]
National East Indies monument
Also known as: Nationaal Indië-monument 1945-1962
Cultural landmark in Roermond, Netherlands. The National East Indies monument 1945–1962 in Roermond, the Netherlands commemorates more than 6200 Dutch servicemen who died in either the former Dutch East Indies or New Guinea. The monument is located in the National Remembrance Park Roermond, which also has monuments dedicated to the civilians who died during that period, as well as Dutch servicemen who died in other missions since the start of the Korean War.[4]
Address: Maastrichterweg 19, 6041 NZ Roermond
Munsterplein
The Munstersquare is the main square in the city of Roermond. Its most prominent features are the bandstand and the Munster church, one of the most beautiful remnants of Romanesque architecture in the Netherlands. Next to the church is a statue of architect Pierre Cuypers, responsible for an extensive restoration of the church and also the designer of the bandstand. The south-east side of the square is closed by a block of houses designed by his son Joseph.[5]
Cuypershuis
Specialty museum, Museum
Address: Pierre Cuypersstraat 1, 6041 XG Roermond
Openbare Bibliotheek Roermond
Library
Address: Neerstraat 11-13, Roermond
Roertunnel
The Roertunnel is a 2.45 km long land tunnel in Roermond, Netherlands. Opening in 2008, it is one of the longest land tunnels for road traffic in the Netherlands.
The tunnel is a part of the A73-south highway, connecting the A73-north in Venlo to the A2 near Echt. The tunnel consists of two main tubes, each containing two traffic lanes without shoulders. One tube contains northbound traffic, while the other contains southbound traffic. Additionally, there is a third tube between the two main tubes that functions as an emergency escape route. The maximum speed inside the tunnels is 100 km/h. Since the highway is directly in the path of urban and protected environmental areas in Roermond, the tunnel has been constructed to lead the traffic underneath East Roermond's urban area, the Roerdal environmental protected zone, and the Roer river.
A little north of the Roertunnel, a sister tunnel, The Swalmentunnel, has been constructed according to the same construction principles. That tunnel measures 400m in length and leads underneath the urban area of Swalmen, a village in the municipality of Roermond.
Once the tunnel is fully opened, one of the entry ramps in Roermond will have to be redesigned, because according to safety regulations the final entry on the highway must be 300m ahead of the tube of a tunnel, and the entry to the southbound tube in the Roertunnel ends only a few meters ahead of the tunnel. The plan is to redirect all highway traffic to the left lane before entering the tunnel, so that all traffic on the entry ramp can use the right lane for the complete length of the tunnel before merging with the rest of the traffic upon exit of the tunnel.[6]