The historic city centre
Venlo was a walled, fortified settlement until 1867. In that year, Limburg in its current form became the eleventh province to join the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The city walls no longer had a defensive purpose and could be demolished. It was about time too: the city at the time numbered 8000 inhabitants in 950 houses. There was no sewage system and piles of waste and manure littered the streets. Only a small part of the original city walls remains in the monastery garden Mariaweide and Maaskade. The rubble of the walls was quickly removed and ribbon development of dwellings took place along the roads leading to Venlo such as Tegelseweg, Herungerweg and Kaldenkerkerweg.
Planned urban development only started 10 years later and resulted in new neighbourhoods such as Rosarium and the streets north of Bolwaterstraat.
Small, unique boutiques
Leave the bustle of the main streets behind you and be surprised by originality. In the narrow lanes you will stumble across wonderful, unique boutiques, and shop to your heart's delight in speciality stores.
Major high-street brands
Primark, H&M, The Sting, New Yorker, Sport 2000 and many more. These well-known retail chains are found in Vleesstraat and Lomstraat, and also on Maasboulevard. Great for taking your time to seek out the latest fashions, or if you need a quick retail fix and know precisely where to find it.
