Maastricht
Introduction To Maastricht
Situated at the southern most point of The Netherlands, within a narrow stretch of land between the German and Belgian borders, lies Maastricht, the capital of the province of Limburg and our home town. Some 240km south of Amsterdam it is the oldest city in the Netherlands, and it can also be considered the most cosmopolitan. It’s proximity to the neighbouring countries means that the inhabitants can usually speak French, German and English as well as Dutch and their own dialect of Limburgs. Maastricht is a bustling town of some 190,000 inhabitants, with good rail and road links north to the rest of Holland, south to Liege, west to Brussel, and east to Aachen.
Old narrow streets, city fortifications, beautiful old churches, the river Maas, tunnels and caves, all of these go to form the character of the city. During the 18th century there something of a craze for all things French and during this time drama, literature, philosophy and architecture flourished in the city, to this day you can see the French influence in much of city architecture.
The centre of the city is especially attractive, due to its wealth of historic buildings. We over 1450 monuments that are protected by law. Because of its heritage value, the whole of Maastricht city centre has been declared a ‘protected area’ and we are fortunate and privileged to live within this beautiful area.
You can visit the main square (Vrijthof) or the Market square, you can admire the beautiful Basilica of Saint Servatius, Basilica of Our Beloved Lady, O.L. Vrouweplein. Alternatively you can go deep under the city to the famous ‘St. Pietersberg’ caves, which are the result of centuries of excavation of marl, a type of building stone, resulting in an enormous labyrinth of more than 20,000 passages, some of which are open to the public for guided tours, others pass right under our houses.
The History Of Maastricht; here.
Sights of Maastricht
Maastricht is known for its many sights, picturesque squares, romantic streets, and historical buildings. The main ones include:
- City Fortifications
- Market Square the 17th-century city hall and Mosae Forum – a new shopping centre.
- Entre Deux – a new shopping centre.
- Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Plein
- Inner City – the city centre of Stokstraatkwartier, the Maastrichter Brugstraat, the Grote and Kleine Staat, and the Wolfstraat.
- Maastricht is also known for its abundance of cafés, pubs and restaurants.
- Vrijthof – Sint Servaas Basiliek & Sint Janskerk
- Sint Pietersberg – Fort Sint Pieter
- Bassin – the inner harbour with restaurants and cafés.
- Parks – there are various parks in Maastricht, including: Stadspark.the main public park, Monsigneur Nolenspark – part of the Stadspark, Aldenhofpark ,Charles Eykpark, Griendpark – with a 2008-constructed inline-skating and skateboarding course.
Pictures of our neighborhood here.
Museums in Maastricht
Bonnefanten Museum – art museum for old masters and contemporary fine.
Natuurhistorisch Museum – for to geology, paleontology and the flora and fauna – a favourite of our children.
