History comes to life! From 10 June 2023 to 7 January 2024 the exhibition Battle for the Meuse Valley. The Sun King and the Prince of Orange can be seen at the Limburgs Museum in Venlo.
In June 1673 King Louis XIV of the French, also known as the Sun King, managed to conquer the city of Maastricht, at the time one of the best fortified cities in Europe, after a 13-day long military campaign. Both in Versailles and Paris the victory was celebrated. Willem III, The Prince of Orange – 1688 King William III of England, Ireland and Scotland – in 1676 tried to reconquer the city for the Dutch Republic, but failed. Only in 1679 the French soldiers and administators left Maastricht.
The museum informs that the battle was the beginning of a decades-long rivalry between both monarchs. Willem III was inspired by his rival, but Louis never saw him as equal. The exhibition is a unique opportunity to get to know them. At the heart of the exhibition are the questions: what motives drove the actions of the two sovereigns? What did this region signify to them? How did their actions affect the people?
The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Service Historique de la Défense, the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn. Some works of art have never been shown in the Netherlands.
Limburgs Museum
Keulsepoort 5
5911 BX Venlo
The Netherlands
The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm.
Tickets can be bought online at https://www.limburgsmuseum.nl/
