Maestricht (Mahs-trihht), the capital of the Dutch province of Limburg, 19 miles NNE. of Liege by rail, 19 WNW. of Aix-la-Chapelle, and 152 SSB. of Amsterdam. It lies on the left bank of the Meuse or Maas, a stone bridge (1683), 133 yards long, connecting it with the suburb of Wijk. Formerly an important fortress, it is still a garrison town; but the fortifications were dismantled in 1871-78. The town-hall, with spire and carillon (1662), contains many paintings and a library ; and in the three-towered church of St Servatius (12-14th century), the cathedral once, is a 'Descent from the Cross,' by Van Dyck. But Maestricht's great sight is the subterranean quarries of the Pietersberg, formerly called Mons Hunnoum (330 feet). Their labyrinthine passages, 12 feet wide, and 20 to 50 feet high, number 16,000, and extend over an area of 13 by 6 miles. They are supposed to have been worked first by the Romans, and, amongst other fossils, have yielded two heads of the huge Mosasaurus. The manufactures include glass, earthenware, and carpets. Pop. (1876) 29,083; (1903) 35,320. Maestricht, the Roman Trajectum ad Mosam, was six times besieged between 1579 and 1814, and in 1830 withstood the insurgent Belgians.