First signpost for walking network “Knopen Lopen Southern Limburg” placed in the Grensmaas Valley

The construction of the new walking network called Knopen Lopen Southern Limburg has started.

It is the largest and most eye-catching regional project for extending and enticing those who enjoy walking along a regional network of nodes. The rollout of this impressive 1,900-kilometre network started on 9 April in the municipality of Stein, at the ferry in Berg aan de Maas, where the first official signpost was placed.

Completion and commissioning

In the coming months, the network will become visible in more and more locations. The realisation of the network will start in the beautiful Grensmaas Valley and will then continue in Parkstad, Heuvelland, Valkenburg, and finally Maastricht. It is expected that the placement of the signposts will be fully completed by the end of this year, which means that the network will be ready for use at the beginning of 2026. Since the design phase of the visual specifications was somewhat delayed, the current network with coloured signposts will still be used during the 2025 walking season.

Walking network

The walking network will be no less than 1,900 kilometres long, an expansion of about 30% compared to the current network of coloured signposts. The network will contain 1,900 nodes, all equipped with a QR code with extra information about the surroundings, walking products, and hospitality. Additionally, 120 information panels will be placed at parking lots and other important starting points.

Vision VTE Destination South Limburg 2030

The Knopen Lopen Southern Limburg project is an important project in the Leisure Economy Destination Southern Limburg Vision for 2030, drawn up by the 16 municipalities in Southern Limburg. These municipalities are all intensively involved in the implementation. The Province of Limburg and the Parkstad City Region are also represented.

"The Western Mining Region is the gateway to Southern Limburg. With the inclusion of the Grensmaas Valley in this walking network, Northern, Central, and Southern Limburg are almost literally connected. This network not only makes the beauty of our region more accessible to walkers but will also contribute to the extension of tourism and the strengthening of local businesses," say Mayor Christine van Basten-Boddin (Beek) and members of the municipal Chief Executive Yvonne Salvino (Sittard-Geleen) and Gina van Mulken (Stein). "Southern Limburg is committed to a future-proof leisure economy that will continue to be an important job engine for the economy in the coming decades, a good business card for the region, and an optimal positive impact on the environment, taking into account the interests of residents."