The section of the Meuse that flows through the RivierPark Maasvallei is known as the “Common Meuse”. In the Netherlands, this part is also known as the Grensmaas (Border Meuse) because, for about fifty kilometres, the river forms the border between Flanders and the Netherlands. The Common Meuse begins just after Maastricht, where the valley broadens significantly. Initially, the valley slopes are still several meters high, but they gradually level out and eventually disappear. Since the early days of industrialisation, shipping along this part of the Meuse has been diverted through canals, leaving this stretch of the river as the only section between Commercy and the Lower River region where the Meuse still flows freely!

In the 19th and 20th centuries, industrial development and urbanisation focused primarily on coal mining in places like Eisden and Stein, just a few kilometres from the river, as well as along the canal banks. This meant that the landscape immediately surrounding the river was spared from extensive urban expansion. However, during the 20th century, the river became increasingly confined, with its width reduced to about 50 metres. Land use crept closer to the banks, the river deepened its course and the ecological value of the river suffered dramatically.