Send Gift Baskets to Maasmechelen, Belgium

Sand and other materials eroded by the Meuse river in the Ardennes region were used by the Meuse to build up the plateau of Campine during the ice age. As a result of the higher elevation and the proximity to fertile river clay, this location was attractive to the prehistoric tribes who settled here in the 2nd millennium B.C. and to the Celtic people who settled here in the 1st millennium B.C.

This area bordered the region of Germania Inferior and Gallia Belgica in Roman times. Maastricht, to the south, was the main crossing point of the Roman road. To protect the bridge in Maastricht, settlements were built where Maasmechelen lies today.

Following the fall of the Roman Empire, travel and trade suffered a sharp decline. It was now the Franks who controlled the land. It was in the 7th century that international commercial activities resumed on the river. As the river moved eastward, it also gradually shifted westward. Roman colonies built initially on the right bank of the river now found themselves on the left bank. Stockbreeding was favored over agriculture due to the abundance of streams and wetlands. Due to the feudal system and the practice of paying civil servants with land, territories were endlessly divided. Maastricht’sMaastricht’s abbey of Saint Servatius received some parcels, including Mechelen-aan-de-Maas and Opgrimbie. Several packages were possessed by local lords who pledged their loyalty to the Holy Roman Emperor. Local religious communities took over other parts of the territory. A growing population led to the building and enlargement of churches and abbeys.