Its occupation in ancient Roman times is recorded by its name itself which comes from Latin 'Vallis' - in the valley. It is one of the few places in the Netherlands with a name deriving from Latin. In Roman times, the south of the Dutch province of Limburg was a densely populated part of the Roman empire, with its regional focus on Cologne (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium), for a while even capital of the Western Roman Empire.
About two million years ago, the area surrounding Vaals was relatively flat. The Meuse river ran past the villages of Eijsden, Epen and Vijlen towards the North-East. This changes when the Bulge arose, geologically. The area surrounding Vaals rose over Maastricht and the Meuse river was redirected there. The many small rivers feeding the Meuse river eventually formed the landscape that is currently known as the "Heuvelland".
Vaals has been inhabited for a very long time. Near the Vijlener Forest, archeological traces have been found that indicate that the area was inhabited between 5000BC. Vaals is first mentioned in documents in 1041. The village is then called either Vals or Vallis, meaning valley. In that time, Emperor Henry III donated land to the St. Adalbert Abbey and to distinguish between the city of Aachen and this land, it is referred to as "in the valley"/in Vallis. In those days, the centre of the municipality was Holset, also home to a high court of justice.
Given the location of the municipality, Vaals observed many armies passing by. Some of them did not idly pass by. During the war against the Spanish occupation, in 1568, the armed forces of William of Orange passed through Vaals and looted St. Paul's Church.
In 1661 Vaals became a part of the Republic of the United Netherlands. Many wealthy citizens moved to Vaals and turned it into a wealthy industrial hub. A prominent industrial family were the Von Clermonts, who moved from Aachen to Vaals in 1761 and established a large linen factory, with
