Editing Maastricht (section)

=== Sights of Maastricht ===
Maastricht is known in the Netherlands and beyond for its lively squares, narrow streets, and historic buildings. The city has 1,677 national heritage buildings (''[[rijksmonument]]en''), more than any Dutch city outside Amsterdam. In addition to that there are 3,500 locally listed buildings (''gemeentelijke monumenten''). The entire city centre is a conservation area (''beschermd stadsgezicht'') and largely traffic-free. The tourist information office ([[Tourism in the Netherlands|VVV]]) is located in the basement of Dinghuis, a late-medieval courthouse overlooking Grote Staat.
Maastricht's main sights include:
* '''[[Meuse]] ({{langx|nl|Maas}}) river''', with several parks and promenades along the river, and some interesting bridges:
** [[Sint Servaasbrug]], partly from the 13th century; the oldest bridge in the Netherlands;
** [[Hoge Brug]] ("High Bridge"), a modern pedestrian bridge designed by René Greisch.
* '''City fortifications''', including:
** Remnants of the first and second medieval [[city wall]] and several towers (13th and 14th centuries);
** Helpoort ("Hell's Gate"), an imposing gate with two towers, built around 1230, the oldest city gate in the Netherlands;
** Wycker Waterpoort, a medieval gate in Wyck, used for accessing the city from the Meuse, demolished in the 19th century but rebuilt shortly afterwards;
** Hoge Fronten (or: Linie van Du Moulin), remnants of 17th and 18th-century [[fortifications]], including a number of well-preserved [[bastions]], [[couvreface]]s, [[Lunette (fortification)|lunettes]] and dry [[moat]]s;
** Fort Sint-Pieter, an early 18th-century [[fortress]] on the flanks of [[Mount Saint Peter]], offering guided tours and panoramic views of the city; and Fort Willem I, an early 19th-century fortress on the Caberg elevation;
** [[Casemate]]s, an underground network of tunnels, built as sheltered emplacements for guns and cannons. These connected tunnels built of brick and limestone run for around fourteen kilometres underneath the city's fortifications. Guided tours are available.
* '''Binnenstad''': inner-city pedestrianized district with popular shopping streets Grote and Kleine Staat, high-end shopping streets Stokstraat and Maastrichter Smedenstraat, and two indoor shopping centres. Several main sights in Maastricht as well as a large number of cafés, pubs and restaurants are centred around the three main squares in Binnenstad:
** [[Vrijthof]], the largest and possibly best-known square in Maastricht, with many well-known pubs and restaurants. Other sights include:
*** [[Basilica of Saint Servatius]], a predominantly Romanesque church with an imposing [[westwork]] and important 12th and 13th-century sculptures; most notably the westwork interior figurative [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]], the westwork [[reredo]], and the sculpted South Portal. The tomb of [[Saint Servatius]] in the crypt is a favoured place of [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrimage]]. The church has an important [[Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius|church treasury]];
*** [[Saint John Church (Maastricht)|Sint-Janskerk]], a Gothic church dedicated to [[Saint John the Baptist]], the city's main Protestant church since 1632, adjacent to the Basilica of Saint Servatius, with a distinctive limestone tower painted red;
*** Spaans Gouvernement ("Spanish Government Building"), a 16th-century former canon's house, later used as a residence for the [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]] and [[Habsburg Netherlands|Habsburg]] rulers, now housing the [[Fotomuseum aan het Vrijthof]];
*** Hoofdwacht, an 18th-century military guard house, built in the style of the [[Dutch Baroque]], used for exhibitions;
*** Generaalshuis ("General's House"), a [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] mansion, now the city's main theater (Theater aan het Vrijthof).
** [[Onze Lieve Vrouweplein]], a tree-lined square with a number of pavement cafes. Main sights:
*** [[Basilica of Our Lady, Maastricht|Basilica of Our Lady]], a partly 11th-century church, one of the Netherlands' most significant Romanesque buildings with an imposing Mosan westwork and an important [[church treasury]]. Perhaps best known for the shrine of [[Our Lady, Star of the Sea]] in an adjacent Gothic chapel;
*** Derlon Museumkelder, a permanent exhibition of ancient Roman remains in the basement of Hotel Derlon.
** Markt, the town's historic market square. Sights include:
*** The [[Maastricht City Hall|Town Hall]], built in the 17th century by [[Pieter Post]] and considered one of the highlights of [[Dutch Baroque architecture]]. Nearby is Dinghuis, the late medieval town hall and courthouse with an early [[Renaissance in the Low Countries|Renaissance]] façade;
*** Mosae Forum, a shopping centre and civic building designed by [[Jo Coenen]] and [[Bruno Albert]] in the early 2000s. Inside the Mosae Forum parking garage there is a small exhibition of [[Citroën]] miniature cars;
*** Entre Deux, a rebuilt shopping centre in [[Postmodern architecture|Postmodern style]], which has won several international awards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.entredeux.nl/ |title=Entre Deux |publisher=Entredeux.nl |access-date=23 May 2012}}</ref> It includes a bookstore located inside a former 13th-century Dominican church. In 2008, British newspaper ''[[The Guardian]]'' proclaimed this the world's most beautiful bookshop.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jan/11/bestukbookshops |title=Top shelves |newspaper=The Guardian |date= 3 March 2008|access-date=23 May 2012 |location=London}}</ref>
* '''[[Jekerkwartier]]''', a neighbourhood named after the small river [[Jeker]], which pops up between old houses and remnants of city walls. The western part of the neighbourhood (named the Maastricht [[Latin Quarter]]) is dominated by university buildings and (performing) arts schools. Sights include:
** several churches and monasteries: the 13th-century First Franciscan Monastery, the 17th-century "Veiled Sisters" and Bonnefanten monasteries, and the 18th-century Second Franciscan Monastery and Walloon and Lutheran churches;
** [[Maastricht Natural History Museum]], a small museum of natural history in a former monastery;
** Grote Looiersstraat ("Great Tanners' Street"), a former canal that was filled in during the 19th century, lined with elegant houses, the city's [[poorhouse]] (now part of the university library) and Sint-Maartenshofje, a typically Dutch [[hofje]].
* '''Kommelkwartier''', '''Statenkwartier''' and '''[[Boschstraatkwartier]]''', three relatively quiet inner city neighbourhoods with several monasteries, university buildings and industrial heritage building:
** [[Crosier Monastery, Maastricht|Crosier Monastery]] in Kommelkwartier, a well-preserved Gothic monastery, now a five-star hotel;
** Sint-Matthiaskerk, a 14th-century parish church dedicated to [[Saint Matthew]];
** Sphinx Quarter, an upcoming neighbourhood and cultural hotspot in the north of the city centre. Several of the industrial buildings of the former Sphinx glass, crystal and ceramics factories have been transformed for new uses;
** Bassin, a restored early 19th-century inner harbor surrounded by industrial heritage buildings, re-used as cultural venues, bars and restaurants.
* '''[[Wyck, Maastricht|Wyck]]''', the old quarter on the right bank of the river Meuse.
** Saint Martin's Church, a [[Gothic Revival]] church designed by [[Pierre Cuypers]] in 1856;
** Rechtstraat and Hoogbrugstraat are the oldest streets in Wyck with many historic buildings and a mix of specialty shops, art galleries and restaurants;
** Stationsstraat and Wycker Brugstraat are elegant streets with the majority of the buildings dating from the late 19th century. At the east end of Stationsstraat stands the [[Maastricht railway station]] from 1913.
* '''Céramique''', a modern neighbourhood on the site of the former Société Céramique potteries, including a park along the river Meuse (Charles Eyckpark) and a showcase of architectural highlights:
** Wiebengahal, one of the few remaining industrial buildings in the neighbourhood and an early example of [[modernist architecture]] in the Netherlands, dating from 1912;
** [[Bonnefanten Museum]] by [[Aldo Rossi]], featuring a landmark rocket-shaped tower;
** Centre Céramique, a public library and exhibition space by [[Jo Coenen]];
** La Fortezza, a red brick office and apartment building by [[Mario Botta]];
** Siza Tower, a residential tower clad with zinc and white marble, by [[Álvaro Siza Vieira]];
** Other buildings in Céramique by [[MBM (architecture firm)|MBM]], [[Cruz y Ortiz]], [[Luigi Snozzi]], [[Aurelio Galfetti]], [[Herman Hertzberger]], [[Wiel Arets]], [[Hubert-Jan Henket]], [[Charles Vandenhove]] and [[Bob Van Reeth]].
* '''[[Sint-Pietersberg]]''' ("Mount Saint Peter"): modest hill and nature reserve south of the city, peaking at {{convert|171|m|0}} [[above sea level]]. It serves as Maastricht's main recreation area and a viewing point. The main sights include:
** Fort Sint-Pieter, an early 18th-century military fortress fully restored in recent years;
** [[Caves of Maastricht]] aka ''Grotten Sint-Pietersberg'', an underground network of man-made tunnels ("caves") in limestone quarries. Guided tours are available;
** ENCI Quarry: a former quarry and nature reserve with several lakes, accessible via a spectacular staircase with viewing platforms;
** Slavante, a 19th-century former gentlemen's club on the site of a Franciscan monastery (of which parts are still standing), now a popular hang-out, offering panoramic views over the Meuse valley;
** Lichtenberg, a ruined medieval castle keep and an adjacent 18th-century farmstead;
** D'n Observant ("The Observer"), an artificial hilltop, made with the spoils of a nearby quarry, now a nature reserve.