Maastricht was established sometime between the Iron Age and Antiquity and is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. Outside of Amsterdam, the city has the most national monuments per municipality and numerous top-notch museums that showcase its rich past. Here is our selection of the top.
1. Fotomuseum aan het Vrijthof
A total of four temporary exhibitions of contemporary art are organized annually by Museum aan het Vrijthof. The museum was established in 1973 to display a sizable collection of artworks that had once belonged to rich Hague residents Ambrosina de Wit and Frederik Wagner.
Despite the museum’s youth in comparison to other organizations of a similar nature around the globe, it is located inside one of Maastricht’s oldest secular structures, which dates back to the 14th century. This beautiful location has undergone numerous renovations throughout the years and now incorporates aspects from the Renaissance, the Middle Ages, and Modernism.
2. Maastricht Underground
The caves beneath Maastricht are, without a doubt, some of the most significant and fascinating historical locations in the city, even though they don’t exactly count as museums. These underground corridors and halls were constructed over numerous centuries to create a vast network of tunnels.
Some of these man-made tunnels were dug out to use as shelter during the conflict, while others were evacuated to make mines. Maastricht Underground offers a number of tours that take place below ground.
3. Museum Kelder Derlon
From 100 AD until 400 AD, the Romans kept a garrison in Maastricht. Therefore, the city very definitely sits on top of a ton of ancient artifacts.
In 1983, archeologists unearthed a sizable collection of Roman artifacts buried beneath the Hotel Derlon, including fragments of a long-gone shrine, stone carvings, and slabs of rock that were once part of a 9-meter-tall column devoted to the god Jupiter. A small museum is housed in Hotel Derlon’s basement and features many of these items that are still there.
4. Maastricht Natural History Museum
The province of Limburg is home to the majority of the scientific instruments, artifacts, and specimens that the Maastricht Natural History Museum collects and preserves. The museum’s collection has a number of significant artifacts, including a cast of the entire skeleton and the head of the extinct Mosasaurus.
This prehistoric aquatic lizard prowled the Meuse river over 70 million years ago. The Maastricht Natural History Museum routinely hosts kid- and family-friendly temporary exhibitions in addition to its permanent collection.
5. Stoombierbrouwerij De Keyzer
Maastricht originally had over 30 breweries, but during the past century, the majority of these establishments have shut down. De Keyzer, a historic brewery, was fortunately saved from being demolished and has been protected as a national monument ever since.
Several of the beautiful plant’s original features predate contemporary brewing methods, and it was established in 1758. After taking a guided tour of the brewery’s premises, visitors can enjoy some genuine Limburgish beer.
6. Bonnefantenmuseum
The current location of the Bonnefantenmuseum was created by post-modern Italian master Aldo Rossi and is centered around a silo-shaped cupola that overlooks the Meuse River. The museum includes a sizable collection of artifacts and is currently home to a variety of artworks from the Middle Ages to the Present, including paintings, statues, and installations.
