Walloons in the Netherlands

However, even after the foundation of the previously mentioned nations cross-border migration continued towards the Netherlands. Particularly, this was the case in the border area now of the Netherlands (Limburg province), Belgium (Limburg and Liège provinces) and Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia). In 1840, 10 years after the independence and incorporation of Wallonia into Belgium, the population of the Dutch Limburgian capital Maastricht comprised 8.6% Belgian-born persons with 40% of these persons originating from Wallonia fuelling the competition between the Dutch and French languages in the city.^[1]