Heerlen lies east of Maastricht, close to the German frontier. In the time of Augustus the site was occupied by a Roman trading station called Coriovallum, situated at the intersection of two military roads. The European edition of the "Wall Street Journal" is published here, as well as a number of Dutch periodicals.
The
city is home to the Glass Palace, a landmark building designed by well-known architect Frits Peutz. There are other notable buildings including a 12th century church and former prison tower.