Former Reformed Orphanage

Former Reformed Orphanage

The Protestant Orphanage was founded in 1639 by the first Reverend of Maastricht Philip Ludovicus, five years after the conquest of Maastricht by Prince Frederik Hendrik. The orphanage was still housed in the former Franciscan monastery in St. Pieterstraat. In 1690 a new orphanage was founded near the Lenculenpoort: two detached buildings from the mid-17th century, were connected by an intermediate construction. The entire complex is built in the style of the Maasland Renaissance.

Today it houses the Theatre Academy Maastricht.

See: rijksmonumenten

Sint-Janskerk

Sint-Janskerk

The St. John's Church is a Gothic church in the historic center of Maastricht. The Protestant St. John is next to the Roman Catholic Saint Servatius at the Vrijthof.

History

The St. John's Church was in the Middle Ages one of the four parish churches of Maastricht. The church takes its name from John the Baptist and was ± 1200 founded by the chapter of Saint Servatius to be the parish church of Saint Servatius parish, making the St. Servatius solely as a collegiate church and pilgrimage church. The St. John's Church was first mentioned in 1218. The present church dates from the 14th and early 15th century. In 1414 the Gothic baptistery was added. The original tower collapsed on June 8, 1366 after a violent storm. The current tower was completed after a long recovery in the second half of the fifteenth century.

In 1632, after the conquest of Maastricht by Frederik Hendrik, the church finally passed into Protestant hands, after having briefly been claimed by the Protestants earlier. From 1633 the church belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church. The former sacristy and served as a vestry. The wall paintings in Catholic representations disappeared under a layer of white lime and only emerged in the early 20th century after a restoration.

The tower has not always had the striking red color, in writings mention is made of the colors yellow (early 18th century) and white (early 19th century). The church has been restored several times, in the years 1713 (by city architect Gilles Doyen), 1774, 1822, 1844, 1877 to 1885 (led by Pierre Cuypers) 1909-1912 (led by Willem Sprenger) and the period 1981-1985 (led by W. Dingemans) . During this last restoration (1984), the tower was painted red again.

See: wikipedia

Water gate in city wall

The city wall

Duke Hendrik 1 of Brabant, ruler who lived in Leuven, Belgium, granted Maastricht the right to build a city wall. The wall was about 2500 meter long. Large parts of this wall can still be seen in the center of Maastricht. Before the city wall was realized, Maastricht was protected by an earth rampart surrounded by a moat. There was an increasing need by the civilian population to protect the city better against enemy armies. The urban sector outside the city walls had grown strongly in two strong centers of business. The tanners (leather workers) along the banks of the Jeker and sheet weavers at the Boschpoort.

In the wall at the Looiersgracht are arches, pillars and a water gate.

See: fotosmaastricht

Jeker

Jeker

The Jeker is a river in Belgium and in the Netherlands. It is a leftbank tributary to the river Meuse.

The source of the Jeker is situated near the village of Geer in the Belgian province of Liège.

The river is about 54 kilometers long, of which 50 kilometers in Belgium (provinces of Liège and Limburg), and 4 km in the Netherlands (province of Limburg), where it flows into the river Meuse at Maastricht (Netherlands).

Places through which the Jeker passes are among others Waremme, Tongeren, Kanne, (all three in Belgium) and Maastricht.

See: wikipedia

Ezelke (1976)

Ezelke

For more than 10 years, former alderman Gijbels had the idea to decorate the Ezelenmarkt with an appropriate image. In 1973 it was commissioned to the sculptor Gertrud Januszewski. Ms Januszewski, born in Berlin and via Venlo and Sittard arrived in Maastricht, studied at the Jan van Eyck Academy in graphics with Prof. Levigne and sculpture by Prof. Carosso. She graduated in 1970 and acquired thereby the price of Maastricht. In late July 1976, the donkey could be placed, but not at the place initially designated on the Ezelsmarkt for traffic reasons.

See: mestreechtersteerke

Madonna with child (1942)

Sjef Eijmael

Joseph Hendrik (Sjef) Eijmael (Valkenburg aan de Geul, 18 april 1921 - Maastricht, 14 oktober 2007) was a Dutch sculptor.

Eijmael was a son of sculptor Josef Hendrik Eijmael (1894-1968) and Catharina Maria Elisabeth van Grootel. He was educated at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht, with Charles Vos. Just 18 years old, he designed a Holy Heart statue for Hoensbroek, which was sculpted by his father. He continued his studies under Jan Bronner at the Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam.

From 1944 he lived and worked in Maastricht and from 1986 in Voeren. He was a traditional sculptor who worked figurative. Eijmael died in 2007, at age 86, in the Academic Hospital Maastricht.

See: wikipedia

Lang Grachtje, Maastricht

The city wall

Duke Hendrik 1 of Brabant, ruler who lived in Leuven, Belgium, granted Maastricht the right to build a city wall. The wall was about 2500 meter long. Large parts of this wall can still be seen in the center of Maastricht. Before the city wall was realized, Maastricht was protected by an earth rampart surrounded by a moat. There was an increasing need by the civilian population to protect the city better against enemy armies. The urban sector outside the city walls had grown strongly in two strong centers of business. The tanners (leather workers) along the banks of the Jeker and sheet weavers at the Boschpoort.

In the street Lang Grachtje are the remains of the city wall still visible. This wall was built in 1229 and consists of two layers and is 2.5 meters thick. The outer wall is the city wall, on the inside (street) the wall is reinforced with pillars and wide low arches. Under the arches the loopholes are still visible.

See: fotosmaastricht

Lang Grachtje

A fairly long piece of the wall is maintained over the entire length of the Lang Grachtje. In the Middle Ages the arcs were allowed to be used in peacetime for storage. There was also trading been done, like the sale of lime. In the first half of the sixteenth century permission was repeatedly granted to close the wall arches to inhabit. Small 'wall'homes have existed until the late nineteenth century.

See: zichtopmaastricht

Christ as the Good Shepherd (1948)

Christ as the Good Shepherd

On a console Christ is depicted standing with his right leg placed forward. He wears his white robe and a blue cloak (the colors are slightly vervaald by lapse of time). Depicted surrounding Christ are sheep, some looks up to the Lord. Christ carries on his left arm a sheep, across his chest, that has directed his gaze to the Lord; his right arm is resting on the sheep. In the background, with his claws resting on the back of the console , there is a wolf. He represents evil, but the sheep are safe under the protection of the Lord.

History

Sculptor Charles Vos created in 1948 an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd. It was placed above the entrance of the chapel in the community center in the Plankstraat 7. In the second half of 1961 the community center was moved to the Grote Looiersstraat 12, the image moved along and was placed on the facade. After closing the community center (6 September 1969) the city of Maastricht sold the property to a brother of former Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers. The housekeeper of Father Castorius in Didam, Tineke Dijkman, tried to buy the image to give it as a present to Father Castorius on the occasion of his 50th aniversary of his priesthood on March 20, 1989. The Lubbers family did not want to sell the picture, because they felt that it belonged to the house. Hence, the image still adorns the facade of the building in the Grote Looiersstraat.

See: charlesvos

Grote Looiersstraat, Maastricht

Grote Looiersstraat

The construction of the second medieval city wall (± 1350) the central part of the Jekerkwartier was annexed to the city. Due to the presence of water (Jeker) many tanners established here. However the Jeker is a rain river, with much rain it floods, with little rain there is almost no water. The discharges of the tanners continued however, making the stench enormously in low water supply. Especially in the summer, the stench could be enormous by this activity. Hence this part of the city was built initially outside the city walls. Due to the decline of activity and frequent flooding at high tide, in 1897 the central branch of the Jeker was filled in. Large rectangular trays were found in various buildings on the Jeker, which were used for the tanning of hides. The names like Grote Looierstraat, Kleine Looierstraat and Witmakerstraat are a reminder of that time. Here in Maastricht from the late Middle Ages to the 19th century the tanning of hides was exercised by many.

Joy of Life (1957)

Willem Hofhuizen

Willem Hofhuizen (27 July 1915 – 23 December 1986) was a Dutch Expressionist painter.

Life

Wilhelmus Johannes Maria (Willem) Hofhuizen was born in Amsterdam on 27 July 1915 but a few years later his parents moved to Roermond, where Willem spent his childhood at the Kapellerlaan. In 1931 he went to Nijmegen and then to Amsterdam to study at the teachers training college and later at the State Academy for the Visual Arts in Amsterdam, under Jurres and Campendonk. His fellow students at the Academy included Jaap Min, Karel Appel, Corneille and many others who would later rise to fame, as well as Jos Hagemeijer (1920–1991), whom he would later marry and who was a talented artist in her own right. However, it was the Kapellerlaan and the nearby chapel in Roermond that had the most profound impact on Hofhuizen's emotional development. There, he developed his emotional bond with the Catholic Church and his sense of the monumental. In Amsterdam, where he had his first workshop at the Lauriersgracht, he soon felt the urge to go the "Catholic south" of the Netherlands, far south, as he later told his friends. In 1944, during the second world war, he moved to the "liberated" city of Deurne (where he stayed with Hendrik Wiegersma, general practitionar and fine artist, and Peer van den Molengraft, fine artist) at the request of industrialist and arts patron Henk te Strake and in 1946 he moved further south to the “Catholic” city of Maastricht, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. In Deurne his first son, Peter, was born. Later the Hofhuizens had a daughter, Josée, and another son, Domien. Willem Hofhuizen had his second workshop in Maastricht at the Pieterstraat in the old mill above the workshop of Hubert Felix, a glazier. When this was to be demolished as part of a city redevelopment project, the municipality offered him all the space he wanted in the school for canal-boat children at the Lage Kanaaldijk, for a symbolic sum. There he continued to work and - after the judicial separation from his wife in 1956 - live, until his death on 23 December 1986. After his separation Tinie van Bragt - the wife of Tonnie van Bragt, professor at the Academy for the Visual Arts Jan van Eyck in Maastricht - cared for him for almost twenty years. She did his laundry for him and brought him food. To soften his grief and relieve his loneliness she sometimes came to read a book or exchange a few words with him at his house in the evening. Hofhuizen spent the last ten years of his life with his bosom friend, the painter Petran Vermeulen (1915–1988), and his dear friend Marianne Bakels. After Willem Hofhuizen’s death Petran Vermeulen said he wished that he, too, were dead. Two years later his wish was fulfilled.

Willem Hofhuizen went on study trips to Egypt, Italy, Spain, Portugal and also France, where he stayed in Paris for about a year.

Work

Willem Hofhuizen's paintings reflect his inner world, in which man (more specifically, the archetypal woman) plays a dominant role. In many of his paintings he is one of the onlookers at the scene, looking over other people's shoulders and satisfied with what he sees. It is his world, which he depicts in his own characteristic manner, in which the transparency of materials plays a major role.

He created the sculptures "Joy of Life" and "Olterdissen's Work" at the Grote Looiersstraat in Maastricht. His works comprise oil paintings, gouaches, temperas, drawings, book illustrations (for example for a dictionary of the Maastricht dialect and a book about the liberation of Leiden), glass windows for churches in Utrecht and Brabant, frescos (Maastricht), sgraffitos (Cuyck, Brunssum), portraits and sculptures. He was also an art critic for a regional newspaper and for fifteen years he taught "cultural life" at the teachers training college of Veghel.

His works have been exhibited in Maastricht, Scheveningen, Amsterdam, Bonn, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Tokyo, among others.

See: wikipedia

St. Hilariusstraat, Maastricht

Jekerkwartier

Jekerkwartier is a neighborhood in the historic center of Maastricht.

Location and Naming

Jekerkwartier is located in the southern part of the city center of Maastricht is today and also known as the Quartier-Latin of Maastricht.

The district takes its name from the river Jeker that flows through the district and mounts into the river Maas. It was originally a low-lying area with a number of branches of Jeker, which became the streets and the blocksof the district.

History

The northern part of the district, within the first medieval city walls, is the oldest part. This part belonged, according to archaeological excavations, in the Merovingian period to an urban settlement. Around 1200 this area was surrounded by an earthen wall. In 1229 the still existing stone rampart was built.

By the construction of the second medieval city wall (± 1350) the central part of the Jekerkwartier was annexed to the city. The presence of water (Jeker) caused the settlement of many tanners. Some street names remind us of this fact.

See: wikipedia

Tafelstraat, Maastricht

Jekerkwartier

Jekerkwartier is a neighborhood in the historic center of Maastricht.

Location and Naming

Jekerkwartier is located in the southern part of the city center of Maastricht is today and also known as the Quartier-Latin of Maastricht.

The district takes its name from the river Jeker that flows through the district and mounts into the river Maas. It was originally a low-lying area with a number of branches of Jeker, which became the streets and the blocksof the district.

History

The northern part of the district, within the first medieval city walls, is the oldest part. This part belonged, according to archaeological excavations, in the Merovingian period to an urban settlement. Around 1200 this area was surrounded by an earthen wall. In 1229 the still existing stone rampart was built.

By the construction of the second medieval city wall (± 1350) the central part of the Jekerkwartier was annexed to the city. The presence of water (Jeker) caused the settlement of many tanners. Some street names remind us of this fact.

See: wikipedia

Waalse kerk

Waalse kerk

The Walloon church, also called French Church, is a church in sober baroque style in the historic center of Maastricht in the Dutch province of Limburg. The church is located on Sint-Pietersstraat in the Jekerkwartier, opposite the Oude Minderbroederskerk.

History

After the conquest of Maastricht by Frederik Hendrik Maastricht exerted a certain attraction to Walloon supporters of Calvinism, who fled the Catholic Bishopric of Liège. Under the terms of capitulation in 1632 the French Protestants were openly profess their faith in Maastricht and were therefore provided with the Hilariuskapel, a former district chapel of the Parish of Our Lady. After the Betrayal of Maastricht (1638), the Walloon Church (Église wallonne reformée) moved to the Jesuit Church. When the Jesuits were allowed to return in the city during the French occupation (1673-1678), the Walloon municipality first moved to St. Catherine's Chapel on the Boschstraat and in 1680 returned to the Chapel Hilary.

In 1685, the Protestants in France lost their rights by the Edict of Fontainebleau, leaving tens of thousands of Huguenots fleeing to the Calvinist Republic of the Seven United States of the Netherlands. The Maastricht Walloon municipality grew strongly, making the Hilariuskapel too small. The medieval chapel was enlarged in 1686 (or replaced by a new church). The new chapel was demolished in 1732, though again to make way for the present church, designed by the architect Nicolas Comhaire from Liege. The new church was built partly over the Jeker river. The construction period was 22 months. The inauguration took place on December 6, 1733.

Over the 19th century, the number of French-speaking Calvinists in Maastricht diminshed. The majority of the congregation consisted of soldiers from the garrison in Maastricht. Furthermore, many Dutch Protestants attended services, because it was regarded chique among the more Frenchified elite. Since 1971, the parish has no minister anymore. The monthly services are led by Belgian ministers.

In 1984 a major restoration took place. The interior of the church has changed over the years several times. The church building is a national monument since 1966 and is still largely in its original state. For regular maintenance, each year 90 % subsidy provided by the government and the Province.

Description

The building has a floor plan of a dodecagonal central building, but actually consists of a rectangular nave, flanked by two five-sided expansion. On the front is a square tower crowned by a storm washers with onion-shaped tower helmet. On the Tafelstraat is a low building with a gate segment arch of Namur stone. Behind it is a timbered part.

The central church area is covered by a stucgewelf with decoration a Huguenot Cross. On the side walls of the church hall are in ornate gold lettering some French biblical texts, taken from an old French Bible (1743).

The protected monument status includes the church building itself and also parts of the interior: the pulpit in Louis XIV style, the gentlemen's bench in Louis XV style and the organ. In 1743 Thomas Weidtman from Ratingen produced a new pipe organ, which was made use of an existing organ case from 1664. It is a éénmanuaalsorgel with attached pedal. The disposition by eleven voices is of a rare beauty and is considered one of the finest baroque instruments in the country. The organ is in 1964 restored by the brothers Van Vulpen of Utrecht and it restored to its original state.

See: wikipedia

Minderbroederskerk

Minderbroederskerk

Old Minderbroederskerk, also called First Franciscan Church, is a former Franciscan church in the Jekerkwartier in Maastricht. The aisled marl stone monastery in early Maas Gothic style dates from the late 13th, early 14th century.

History

The Franciscans have a checkered history in Maastricht. The oldest existing church was already built at the end of the 13th century, just inside the former city wall. A wing of the 14th- century monastery has been preserved. Around 1470 donated the nobleman Nicolaus van Harlaer at its entrance a statue of Mary, which quickly called Star of the Sea had a great appeal to Mary-worshipers.

After Betrayal of Maastricht in 1638, which include the Franciscan Father Vink was involved, the Minderbroeders had to leave the city. Some monks settled in the monastery of the Observers on the Sint-Pietersberg, just outside the city. The image of the Star of the Sea moved along. The church and monastery in the city were put to use by the Maastricht garrison as barracks and military depot.

After the Siege of Maastricht (1673), the French occupiers allowed the Franciscans to re-establish in the city.The monks were not allowed to retrun to the old monastery. On Minderbroedersberg a new monastery was established. The old church and monastery steyed in use by the garrison, a situation that persisted after the French Time (1795-1814).

In 1884, church and monastery were restored and furnished as State Archives of Limburg. From 1939 to 1942 a major restoration took place again, where the dilapidated monastery was demolished. A monastery wing was rebuilt in historical style. In 1995 the building commissioned by the Government Buildings Agency was to a design by architect M. van Roosmalen again substantially restored, which include an underground repository was achieved. During the work remains of the first medieval city wall from ± 1230 were excavated and made visible. The church now serves as a reading room and exhibition area of the Regional Historic Centre Limburg (RHCL).

See: wikipedia

Minderbroeders monastry

Minderbroederskerk

Old Minderbroederskerk, also called First Franciscan Church, is a former Franciscan church in the Jekerkwartier in Maastricht. The aisled marl stone monastery in early Maas Gothic style dates from the late 13th, early 14th century.

History

The Franciscans have a checkered history in Maastricht. The oldest existing church was already built at the end of the 13th century, just inside the former city wall. A wing of the 14th- century monastery has been preserved. Around 1470 donated the nobleman Nicolaus van Harlaer at its entrance a statue of Mary, which quickly called Star of the Sea had a great appeal to Mary-worshipers.

After Betrayal of Maastricht in 1638, which include the Franciscan Father Vink was involved, the Minderbroeders had to leave the city. Some monks settled in the monastery of the Observers on the Sint-Pietersberg, just outside the city. The image of the Star of the Sea moved along. The church and monastery in the city were put to use by the Maastricht garrison as barracks and military depot.

After the Siege of Maastricht (1673), the French occupiers allowed the Franciscans to re-establish in the city.The monks were not allowed to retrun to the old monastery. On Minderbroedersberg a new monastery was established. The old church and monastery steyed in use by the garrison, a situation that persisted after the French Time (1795-1814).

In 1884, church and monastery were restored and furnished as State Archives of Limburg. From 1939 to 1942 a major restoration took place again, where the dilapidated monastery was demolished. A monastery wing was rebuilt in historical style. In 1995 the building commissioned by the Government Buildings Agency was to a design by architect M. van Roosmalen again substantially restored, which include an underground repository was achieved. During the work remains of the first medieval city wall from ± 1230 were excavated and made visible. The church now serves as a reading room and exhibition area of the Regional Historic Centre Limburg (RHCL).

See: wikipedia

Faliezusterklooster

Faliezusterklooster

This small convent was founded in 1350 as the Monastery of St. Catherine, but soon the monastery was named after the clothing of the sisters, who wore a veil or falie their face. After a major fire the monastery was rebuilt between 1647 and 1652 in the style of the Maasland Renaissance. The adjacent monastery church was demolished around 1865.

Pesthuys

The Pest Huys

The Pest Huys is the common name for the water mill The Ancker, a former paper mill on the river Jeker in Maastricht, located on Vijf Koppen in the front of the Helpoort. The building, constructed mainly of brick, limestone blocks and Namur stone is whitened on the north and east facade. The west facade is situated on the river Jeker. The name 'Pest Huys' is actually incorrect, since the building was never the function of plague house had. The proximity of barracks for plague sufferors before the 18th century has probably led to this misnomer.

History

The Pest Huys was originally a by Mr. Willem Frederik Jacobi, deputy high bailiff at Maastricht in 1775 built paper mill that made use of hydropower. This factory, erected on the remains of an exploded 16th century gunpowder mill and the former city warehouse, originally had two waterwheels. Mid 19th century, after the construction of the canal Maastricht-Liege, the mill came through siltation of Jeker in disuse and in 1876 it was dismantled. The complex is registered in the register of national monuments. Nowadays it is in use as a house and theater.

See: wikipedia

Pater Vincktoren

Pater Vincktoren

The Father Vinck Tower is a 14th century tower that was part of the so-called second wall of the city.

During the 13th century Maastricht expanded rapidly and there was a need for a new, larger defense network. After an initial earthwork followed a stone wall with gates and towers built during the 14th century.

The tower was part of the junction where the first and second walls of Maastricht joined together. During the 19th century, the walls of the city were demolished. The tower, meanwhile in dilapidated state, was restored. He also got a new name. The Father Vinck Tower was formerly called simply Toren achter de Faliezusters, to the monastery that once was close. Nowadays the Father Vinck tower is a picturesque part of the city park.

See: ifthenisnow

Panorama of Faliezusterspark

Faliezusterpark

The Faliezusterpark owes its name to the historic building called Faliezusterklooster. This monastery is named after the black piece of fabric that the sisters carry over their head and shoulders. The monastery was founded in 1674. In the convent the nuns were mainly concerned with the care and nursing of the sick. Over a hundred years later, the monastery was closed. Today, the surrounding park is a place where you can walk or relax under one of the trees in the grass. From the park you have a beautiful view of this historic building.

See: maastrichttoer

Pater Vincktoren

The Father Vinck Tower is a 14th century tower that was part of the so-called second wall of the city.

During the 13th century Maastricht expanded rapidly and there was a need for a new, larger defense network. After an initial earthwork followed a stone wall with gates and towers built during the 14th century.

The tower was part of the junction where the first and second walls of Maastricht joined together. During the 19th century, the walls of the city were demolished. The tower, meanwhile in dilapidated state, was restored. He also got a new name. The Father Vinck Tower was formerly called simply Toren achter de Faliezusters, to the monastery that once was close. Nowadays the Father Vinck tower is a picturesque part of the city park.

See: ifthenisnow

Pater Vincktoren

Pater Vincktoren

The Father Vinck Tower is a 14th century tower that was part of the so-called second wall of the city.

During the 13th century Maastricht expanded rapidly and there was a need for a new, larger defense network. After an initial earthwork followed a stone wall with gates and towers built during the 14th century.

The tower was part of the junction where the first and second walls of Maastricht joined together. During the 19th century, the walls of the city were demolished. The tower, meanwhile in dilapidated state, was restored. He also got a new name. The Father Vinck Tower was formerly called simply Toren achter de Faliezusters, to the monastery that once was close. Nowadays the Father Vinck tower is a picturesque part of the city park.

See: ifthenisnow

Hellgate

Hellgate

The Hellgate is the only spared medieval city gate of Maastricht. The gate is part of the first walls dating from the middle of the 13th century. In the Middle Ages the port was called Hoogbruggepoort because they just lay behind a high Jeker Bridge. The name Hellgate was only created in the 18th century and is derived from the nearby house "In Hell": this house name is more common in forges and bakeries.

Helpoort

The Helpoort is a former city gate in Maastricht, located directly across the Pest Huys. The gate dates from 1229 and is the oldest existing city gate of Netherlands. Until the 18th century the gate was nemed Alde Poort op den Ancker.

History

As a result of gaining city rights, Maastricht also got the right to protect themselves with a city wall. In 1229 the first enclosure, of which the Helpoort was a part. The first wall soon proved too small and they started just west of the Helpoort with the construction of a second wall. Late 14th century, this second wall was completed. Because the course of the river Jeker in time moved to the south, the gate was no longer directly protected by a moat. To solve this problem, the walls of the Nieuwstad was built, which had no gates. The Helpoort lost its traffic function and that is why probably the gate is preserved today.

Use in later times

The gate had been used to store gunpowder, and later, in the late 19th century, converted into a house. In the twentieth century, the area above the port was in use as a studio of the painter Jef Schipper (1910-1967). After some extensive restoration is the gateway for a number of years the home of the Maastricht Vestingstad Foundation. During the summer months it can be visited by tourists. On the floors is an exhibition on the history of Maastricht as a fortified city.

See: wikipedia

Jeker tower and Hellgate

Jekertoren

The southeast corner tower of the first city wall dating from the late 13th century. Around 1550 the tower was significantly reduced in height for military reasons. In the early 20th century, the tower had fallen into ruin. On the initiative of Jhr. Victor de Stuers the corner tower was almost completely reconstructed in 1911. It completed the romantic view of the city wall east of the Helpoort.

Hellgate

The Hellgate is the only spared medieval city gate of Maastricht. The gate is part of the first walls dating from the middle of the 13th century. In the Middle Ages the port was called Hoogbruggepoort because they just lay behind a high Jeker Bridge. The name Hellgate was only created in the 18th century and is derived from the nearby house "In Hell": this house name is more common in forges and bakeries.

Helpoort

The Helpoort is a former city gate in Maastricht, located directly across the Pest Huys. The gate dates from 1229 and is the oldest existing city gate of Netherlands. Until the 18th century the gate was nemed Alde Poort op den Ancker.

History

As a result of gaining city rights, Maastricht also got the right to protect themselves with a city wall. In 1229 the first enclosure, of which the Helpoort was a part. The first wall soon proved too small and they started just west of the Helpoort with the construction of a second wall. Late 14th century, this second wall was completed. Because the course of the river Jeker in time moved to the south, the gate was no longer directly protected by a moat. To solve this problem, the walls of the Nieuwstad was built, which had no gates. The Helpoort lost its traffic function and that is why probably the gate is preserved today.

Use in later times

The gate had been used to store gunpowder, and later, in the late 19th century, converted into a house. In the twentieth century, the area above the port was in use as a studio of the painter Jef Schipper (1910-1967). After some extensive restoration is the gateway for a number of years the home of the Maastricht Vestingstad Foundation. During the summer months it can be visited by tourists. On the floors is an exhibition on the history of Maastricht as a fortified city.

See: wikipedia

Watermill 'De Ancker' (1775)

The Pest Huys

The Pest Huys is the common name for the water mill The Ancker, a former paper mill on the river Jeker in Maastricht, located on Vijf Koppen in the front of the Helpoort. The building, constructed mainly of brick, limestone blocks and Namur stone is whitened on the north and east facade. The west facade is situated on the river Jeker. The name 'Pest Huys' is actually incorrect, since the building was never the function of plague house had. The proximity of barracks for plague sufferors before the 18th century has probably led to this misnomer.

History

The Pest Huys was originally a by Mr. Willem Frederik Jacobi, deputy high bailiff at Maastricht in 1775 built paper mill that made use of hydropower. This factory, erected on the remains of an exploded 16th century gunpowder mill and the former city warehouse, originally had two waterwheels. Mid 19th century, after the construction of the canal Maastricht-Liege, the mill came through siltation of Jeker in disuse and in 1876 it was dismantled. The complex is registered in the register of national monuments. Nowadays it is in use as a house and theater.

See: wikipedia

Bike path to the Bonnefanten Museum

Bonnefanten Museum

The Bonnefanten Museum is a museum of fine art in Maastricht, Netherlands.

History

The museum was founded in 1884 as the historical and archaeological museum of the Dutch province of Limburg. The name Bonnefanten Museum is derived from the French 'bons enfants' ('good children'), the popular name of a former convent that housed the museum from 1951 until 1978.

In 1995, the museum moved to its present location, a former industrial site named 'Céramique'. The new building was designed by the Italian architect Aldo Rossi. With its rocket-shaped cupola overlooking the river Maas, it is one of Maastricht's most prominent modern buildings.

Since 1999, the museum has become exclusively an art museum. The historical and archaeological collections were housed elsewhere. The museum is largely funded by the province of Limburg.

Collection

The combination of old art and contemporary art under one roof gives the Bonnefanten Museum its distinctive character. The department of old masters is located on the first floor and displays highlights of early Italian, Flemish and Dutch painting. Exhibited on the same floor is the museum's extensive collection of Medieval sculpture. The contemporary art collection is exhibited on the second floor and focuses on American Minimalism, Italian Arte Povera and Concept Art. The second and third floors are also used for temporary exhibitions.

See: wikipedia

Hoge Brug, Maastricht

Maas

The Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. It has a total length of 925 km. The Meuse is the oldest river in the world.

History

From 1301 the upper Meuse roughly marked the western border of the Holy Roman Empire with the Kingdom of France, after Count Henry III of Bar had to receive the western part of the County of Bar (Barrois mouvant) as a French fief from the hands of King Philip IV. The border remained stable until the annexation of the Three Bishoprics Metz, Toul and Verdun by King Henry II in 1552 and the occupation of the Duchy of Lorraine by the forces of King Louis XIII in 1633. Its lower Belgian (Walloon) portion, part of the sillon industriel, was the first fully industrialized area in continental Europe. The Meuse and its crossings were a key objective of the last major German WWII counter-offensive on the Western Front, the Battle of the Bulge (Battle of the Ardennes) in the winter of 1944/45.

Etymology

The name Meuse is derived from the French name of the river, which evolved from the Latin name Mosa. The Dutch name Maas descends from Middle Dutch Mase, which comes from the presumed but unattested Old Dutch form *Masa, from Proto-Germanic *Maso. Only modern Dutch preserves this Germanic form, however.

Despite its appearance, the Germanic name is not derived from the Latin name, judging from the change from earlier o into a, which is characteristic of the Germanic languages. Therefore, both the Latin and Germanic names were probably derived from a Celtic source, which would have been *Mosa.

Geography

The Meuse rises in Pouilly-en-Bassigny, commune of Le Châtelet-sur-Meuse on the Langres plateau in France from where it flows northwards past Sedan (the head of navigation) and Charleville-Mézières into Belgium.

At Namur it is joined by the River Sambre. Beyond Namur the Meuse winds eastwards, skirting the Ardennes, and passes Liège before turning north. The river then forms part of the Belgian-Dutch border, except that at Maastricht the border lies further to the west. In the Netherlands it continues northwards through Venlo closely along the border to Germany, then turns towards the west, where it runs parallel to the Waal and forms part of the extensive Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, together with the Scheldt river in its south and the Rhine in the north. The river has been divided near Heusden into the Afgedamde Maas on the right and the Bergse Maas on the left. The Bergse Maas continues under the name of Amer, which is part of De Biesbosch. The Afgedamde Maas joins the Waal, the main stem of the Rhine at Woudrichem, and then flows under the name of Boven Merwede to Hardinxveld-Giessendam, where it splits into Nieuwe Merwede and Beneden Merwede. Near Lage Zwaluwe, the Nieuwe Merwede joins the Amer, forming the Hollands Diep, which splits into Grevelingen and Haringvliet, before finally flowing into the North Sea.

See: wikipedia

Panorama of the Saint Servatius Bridge and the river Maas

Sint Servaasbrug

Sint Servaasbrug (or the St. Servatius Bridge) is an arched stone footbridge across the Meuse River in Maastricht, Netherlands. It is named after Saint Servatius, the first bishop of Maastricht, and (despite being largely rebuilt after World War II) it has been called the oldest bridge in the Netherlands.

Description

The Sint Servaasbrug connects pedestrian traffic from the Binnenstad district of Maastricht on the west bank of the Meuse to the Wyck district on the east bank.

The bridge is made of limestone, and in its current configuration it is 160 metres long and 9 metres wide. Its seven arches each span approximately 12 metres, and are supported by seven piers. A separate steel drawbridge with a span of 54.5 metres connects the east end of the bridge to the east bank of the river.

History

The Romans built a wooden bridge across the Meuse in what is now Maastricht, in approximately AD 50, and the Latin phrase for "crossing of the Meuse", "mosae trajectum", became the name of the city. For many years this remained the only crossing of the lower Meuse. However, the Roman bridge collapsed in the year 1275 from the weight of a large procession, killing 400 people. Its replacement, the present bridge, was built somewhat to the north of the older crossing between 1280 and 1298; the Catholic church encouraged its construction by providing indulgences to people who helped build it.

The bridge was renovated in 1680, and in 1825 a wooden strutwork section on the east side of the bridge was replaced by a stone arch. In 1850, as part of the construction of the Maastricht-Liège Canal, a channel was cut on the west side of the bridge.

When in the early 1930s the bridge had been relieved of its function as the city's only river crossing by the construction of the Wilhelmina bridge, 300 metres (1,000 ft) downstream, a major renovation was performed. The arches were reconstructed in concrete, covered with the original stones. Underwater, counter-arches were constructed to prevent erosion of the river bed on which the bridge was built. Two arches on the eastern end of the bridge were removed and replaced by a vertical-lift bridge. Between the two bridges, on the eastern side of the river, a levee was built to separate the navigable eastern channel from the rest of the river.

During World War II the bridge was severely damaged by the German army as they retreated from the Netherlands in 1944, but it was rebuilt in 1948. In 1962, the shipping channel to the east of the bridge was spanned by a steel drawbridge attached to the main bridge.

See: wikipedia

Maas

The Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. It has a total length of 925 km. The Meuse is the oldest river in the world.

History

From 1301 the upper Meuse roughly marked the western border of the Holy Roman Empire with the Kingdom of France, after Count Henry III of Bar had to receive the western part of the County of Bar (Barrois mouvant) as a French fief from the hands of King Philip IV. The border remained stable until the annexation of the Three Bishoprics Metz, Toul and Verdun by King Henry II in 1552 and the occupation of the Duchy of Lorraine by the forces of King Louis XIII in 1633. Its lower Belgian (Walloon) portion, part of the sillon industriel, was the first fully industrialized area in continental Europe. The Meuse and its crossings were a key objective of the last major German WWII counter-offensive on the Western Front, the Battle of the Bulge (Battle of the Ardennes) in the winter of 1944/45.

Etymology

The name Meuse is derived from the French name of the river, which evolved from the Latin name Mosa. The Dutch name Maas descends from Middle Dutch Mase, which comes from the presumed but unattested Old Dutch form *Masa, from Proto-Germanic *Maso. Only modern Dutch preserves this Germanic form, however.

Despite its appearance, the Germanic name is not derived from the Latin name, judging from the change from earlier o into a, which is characteristic of the Germanic languages. Therefore, both the Latin and Germanic names were probably derived from a Celtic source, which would have been *Mosa.

Geography

The Meuse rises in Pouilly-en-Bassigny, commune of Le Châtelet-sur-Meuse on the Langres plateau in France from where it flows northwards past Sedan (the head of navigation) and Charleville-Mézières into Belgium.

At Namur it is joined by the River Sambre. Beyond Namur the Meuse winds eastwards, skirting the Ardennes, and passes Liège before turning north. The river then forms part of the Belgian-Dutch border, except that at Maastricht the border lies further to the west. In the Netherlands it continues northwards through Venlo closely along the border to Germany, then turns towards the west, where it runs parallel to the Waal and forms part of the extensive Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, together with the Scheldt river in its south and the Rhine in the north. The river has been divided near Heusden into the Afgedamde Maas on the right and the Bergse Maas on the left. The Bergse Maas continues under the name of Amer, which is part of De Biesbosch. The Afgedamde Maas joins the Waal, the main stem of the Rhine at Woudrichem, and then flows under the name of Boven Merwede to Hardinxveld-Giessendam, where it splits into Nieuwe Merwede and Beneden Merwede. Near Lage Zwaluwe, the Nieuwe Merwede joins the Amer, forming the Hollands Diep, which splits into Grevelingen and Haringvliet, before finally flowing into the North Sea.

See: wikipedia