Limburg: the multifaceted fortress

Part one of a twelve part etymological reflection on the provinces of the Netherlands.

There appear to be no conclusive theories as to the etymology of the warden of the south of the Dutch provinces forming a headland with Belgium to the west and Germany to the east. The name of the province derives from the no longer extant Duchy of Limburg which in turn derives its name from the castle in the town of Limbourg-sur-Vesdre in current day Belgium which is supposedly named after the Limburg Abbey in Germany which was built on the Linthberg. More on linth in a bit.

The “burg” part is relatively straightforward meaning fortified town and is common in numerous Germanic toponyms such as Strasbourg, Hamburg and Luxembourg for example. There is no clear etymology for the word, but it might be related to the Dutch word for mountain berg which is an elevation of the earth’s surface and therefore a more secure place. It might also be related to the Dutch verb bergen which means “to secure” or “to make safe”. There also appears to be a connection with the Latin burgus “massive watchtower” coming from the Greek púrgos “tower”. Safe to say “burg” designates a safe space.

The “lim” part is the part where even more fun is to be had as the theories offer rich picking of possible plum prescriptions. One theory states that it refers to lime trees or linden. Said tree has no relation to the actual lime fruit but instead goes back to a proto-Indo-European (PIE) word meaning “flexible”. This would then give Limburg: the linden or flexible tree fort.

Another theory states that it refers to the Roman-era limes which were demarcations of the borders of the empire. There are again multiple theories regarding the origin of these limes ranging from “to bow”, “to bend”, “elbow”, to “tie”. It was apparently seen as a threshold maker and can still be seen words such as limit. This would then give Limburg: the border fort.

Yet another theory states that lim refers to lime the material. This lime means “slime, slimy, sticky”. Which can still be seen in the Dutch word for glue which is lijm. This would then give Limburg: the slimy, sticky fort.

Then there is a theory, and it’s my personal favorite, which states that lim refers to lind as in lindworm also spelled lindwyrm or lindwurm which is a mythical giant serpent or dragon with its lair deep in the presumably linden forest. This lind apparently has the same PIE root as the linden tree i.e. flexible. 

On a side note, shed a tear for the once mighty, mythical and majestic wyrm which has been degraded from awesome, fearsome beast to pitisome, loathsome bug. Both serpent and worm wriggle alike though and that’s the PIE root at the base of both words meaning “to turn, to bend”. A lindwyrm is therefore a flexible bender and coming back to the fort, this would then give Limburg: the serpent or dragon fort.

Mashing and mixing all theories together in an etymological chimera, one could say, and I shall, that Limburg is the exquisitely apt name for a border watchtower in a linden forest harbouring a fantastical slimy serpent.