Streets & neighbourhoods, Maastricht

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Whilst Maastricht's most obvious waterway is its river it does have a network of canals and other waterways around and under the city. Some of these would have been used for transportation, others as drainage and flood control and there are also several watermills whose uses included the grinding of flour and as the power source for textile manufacture.

This is another statue that piqued my interest as I was wandering along Grote Looiersstraat, where the Natural History Museum is located. At the time I had no idea who it was but have since found that it's a guy called Fons Olterdissen.

Olterdissen was a turn-of-the-century (19th to 20th) arts teacher who lived most of his life here in Maastricht. He was influencial is promoting writing in the local dialect and was a co-founder of the social and cultural association “Maastricht Vooruit” (Maastricht Ahead).

Amongst his writings he authored several comic operas and the final song of his “Trijn de Begijn” has become Maastricht’s official anthem.

The sculpture here is a 1961 work by Willem Hofhuizen and depicts Fons addressing the sculptor's children.

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Maastricht's main park is the Stadspark which is located between the old city walls and the river's western bank. This is quite a diverse park with the expected lakes and fountains, grassy areas and horticultural ones and ideal for a pleasant wander or to sit awhile and maybe have a picnic. Unexpected was the fenced-in area hosting a lively little tribe of goats (as well as some deer and avians).

Those that know me know that I have an affinity with these creatures. Firstly because I'm a Capricorn, secondly because some interpretations of my surname render it as "Goat's Town" and finally because I reckon that goats are good eating HA!

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Whilst the historic centre makes fascinating wandering it's also worth taking in the more modern developments too as these have played their role in the emergence of the city. You don't have to wander far - a few minutes walk down the east bank of the river from the St Servatius Bridge takes you past the remains of the Medieval river fortifications and gateways and then past the modern apartment blocks, offices and the back of the city's main museum and art gallery, the Bonnefantenmuseum, all of which are along the pleasant riverside walk.

If you continue under the John F Kennedy Bridge you'll find the memorial to the US 30th Infantry Division who liberated the city from the Germans in 1944. The memorial was dedicated on Sept 14th 1994 to comemorate the 50th anniversary of the event.

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I'm not sure how this translates but I think it's something like "Big Bridge Street" which perhaps during the 18th century it was. The Hoogbrugstraat is now a quiet little side street on the eastern side of the river, just down from the railway station, with a row of quirky individual shops.

If you look above the doorways you'll notice that most have the original motifs which served as their addresses at the time they were built.

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Maastricht's University is the Netherlands second youngest having formally been awarded its charter in 1976. The University was originally intended to be built as a medical school in a purpose designed modern campus.

However the expected shortage of medical professionals had been avoided by the existing schools taking on more students but the Limburg and city authorities continued to go ahead with plans to have a university sited here. The first faculty, that of medicine, began teaching in 1974 despite the University not being recognised as such. Its charter was officially granted in January 1976 since when it has expanded considerably and now hosts six faculties offering courses, at all levels including PhD, in Arts and Sciences, Business, Law, Humanities, Medicine and Psychology.

What's particularly interesting is that many of the new faculties are housed in historically important buildings which had at the time fallen into disuse and disprepair. Thus the University has contributed hugely to the urban regeneration of what was a decaying city following the collapse of its industrial base.

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Walking along the streets of Maastrciht is a wonderful experience. Stokstratkwartier is nice neighbourhood in the heart of the old town. Here you can see some fantastic examples of private buildings built in the 17th and 18th century. All the houses have got an high roof to have great attics whether to store the provisions and the commodities during the orders.

On the Sunday night in early June I could hear a live band playing as I was crossing the River Meuse on the Servaasbrug. In a side street just off the river bank near to where the large river cruisers are moored I came across the band playing a mix of covers, country and western etc performing from the back of a lorry. There was a crowd of about 80 people milling around enjoying a beer, some burgers and a few were even dancing. There was a really pleasant atmosphere.
What a pleasant and spontaneous thing to chance upon and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. ( Can't say that I rated much of the music though).