Venlo, on the Maas, is the cultural, administrative and economic center of northern Limburg. As an important traffic junction point between Rotterdam and the Ruhr, Venlo has been well placed, particularly since the end of the Second World War, for the development of industry and the establishment of international commercial
firms handling the produce of the market gardens in the surrounding area. The main branches of industry are engineering, the production of optical apparatus, wire-drawing, electrical engineering, textiles, building materials and woodworking.
Venlo, originally a little trading town of no particular importance, was granted a municipal charter in 1343. In 1481 it became a member of the Hanseatic League. Lying as it did in a frontier area, it was strongly fortified, but in spite of this it was compelled to surrender on a number of occasions - in 1543 to Charles V's forces, in 1543 to Alexander Farnese, in 1632 to Prince Frederick Henry and in 1702 to Marlborough. In 1713 it was incorporated in the United Netherlands. The development of industry and a rapid increase in population began after the demolition of the old fortifications in 1868. Venlo suffered heavy destruction during the Second World War but was rapidly rebuilt, to become the modern town it is today.
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