A Ramble Round Historic Maastricht

Abstract

One of the fundamental causes of the ‘post-Maastricht crisis’ is without a doubt the jolt the Treaty has given to the world-views — Weltanschauungen — perpetuated by our education and value systems. To this we have to add the thaw initiated in 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe, which led to a veritable historical upheaval. Susan Sontag may well have been right in declaring that the 21st century began in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. She made this observation in Sarajevo, that tortured city which also saw the advent of the 20th century in 1914, with all that year implied for subsequent European history.

— Where are we going? asked Lamme.

— Maastricht, answered Ulenspiegl.

— But my dear fellow, they say that it is surrounded by the Duke’s army and that the Duke himself is in the city.

Charles de Coster, The Glorious Adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegl