What is the city like
Maastricht gained international fame as the host of the European Summit of 1991, where the "Treaty of Maastricht" was adopted as the formal foundation of the European Union. Located in the southernmost tip of the Netherlands, this city has a reputation of being a little foreign even in its own country. Many tourists visit Maastricht to go shopping, taste the Burgundian atmosphere or to visit one of the 1660 monuments in Maastricht. Maastricht used to be an industry and trade city.
Ceramics, paper and glass have dominated the economy of the city for decades, and still do. Some famous company names in these sectors are MOSA, SPHINX, SAPPI and ENCI. During the last decade Maastricht has become predominantly a science and service city. Nowadays the most important industries in Maastricht are the financial and business services industry (19.4%), trade/hotel and catering industry (19.4%) and the education/health care sector (31.4%). Some large companies situated in or near Maastricht are Macintosh, Mercedes Benz and DSM (large chemical conglomerate).
Furthermore, the city has also developed strongly because of the presence of a University and a College of Higher Education. Although Maastricht is not a very big city (125.000 inhabitants), it is usually buzzing with people day and night, many of which are students. There are hundreds of shops, bars, cafés (Maastricht has the highest café density of The Netherlands: 1 café per 350 inhabitants versus 1 per 900 on average), restaurants, pubs, clubs, galleries, theatres etc. which you will read more about in the following section of this guide.
