Walking Maastricht City Private Tour

one of the most special churches in the Netherlands. The church is probably built on the grave of Saint Servatius and is considered the oldest existing church in the Netherlands. This masterpiece of Romanesque architecture houses ancient treasures and beautiful chapels. Don't forget to take a look at the magnificent treasury.

As you can see, {the Market} is dominated by the town hall, an example of Dutch classicism. During the construction - in the 17th century - several other buildings were demolished. A few houses, but also the Lakenhal, the Belfry and a part of the first city wall had to suffer. This created a more or less square market square, with the town hall in the middle. If you want, you can take a look inside.

The Dinghuis, built in the 15th century, has been used or exploited for various purposes over the years. With special residents, from people to animals. It may well be the only building in {Maastricht} that has functioned for so many different and varied purposes over the years.
The first sight of the Dinghuis does not say it all, because the many sights are sometimes also located in hidden places, both on the outside and inside of the building. You have probably looked at the clock at the front of the building, but did you know that the chain of the clock runs over several floors and can be seen there? I would like to take you along the hidden places of this historic building.

The Basilica of Our Lady is partly built with marl blocks. It dates back to the 10th century and has something very special because of the little light present. In the church there is a treasury with important religious objects, such as richly embroidered chasubles, church silver and relics. The church is popular to light a candle. About 9000 are burned every week. Incidentally, it is the only church in the whole of Europe where the main entrance is located in a side aisle.

At this point you can see the oldest city wall of Maastricht, the {O-L-Vrouwewal}. This part is said to date from 1250 and was part of a city wall of about 2.5 km long. There were also many gates with a defense tower along the city walls. The Helpoort is said to have been built together with this wall and is therefore the oldest tower in Maastricht. The Helpoort is named after a house 'in hell'. That name becomes much clearer when you consider that the street behind the gate used to be the red light district, where people called down 'hell and damnation' upon themselves.

This beautiful tower does not belong to the same wall as the Helpoort. This wall was built a hundred years later. The tower is a partial reconstruction and bears the name of Father {Vinck}. He was sentenced to death in 1638, because he allegedly helped the Spanish conquer Maastricht.

Fons Olterdissen from Maastricht was a writer, poet and director. He was born in 1865 and died in 1923. His work is among the best known written in Maastricht. The final chorus of his comic opera Trijn de Begijn has been the official Maastricht anthem since 2002. His statue stands here, near the university buildings.

17th century {Huys op den Jeker}. The architectural style shows the typical Maasland architectural style of that period. Because there was no more space within the city, people sometimes built houses over the stream, like here.
The frame of the door is made of bluestone and bears the date 1733. However, the frame was brought over from elsewhere during a restoration. The window above the door is original. A 'nice' side effect is the cleanliness of the residents. They had a 'shit house' built, which ended - as was 'normal' at the time - above the Jeker.

The Vrijtho is a square in the city centre of Maastricht. It is the largest square in the centre of the capital of Limburg. The square is mainly known for its many monuments – including a unique, still existing 'church twin' in the Netherlands, various cultural facilities, a series of annual events and the many café terraces. The history of the Vrijthof is unique in the Netherlands due to its continuous use since Roman times.

The Bonnefanten is a museum for visual arts in Maastricht, the capital of the province of Limburg. It is one of the three provincial museums in Limburg. The Bonnefanten is best known for its changing contemporary art exhibitions, collections of medieval sculpture and Southern Netherlandish painting. As far as the former is concerned, the emphasis is on conceptualism, arte povera and American minimalism.