Helpoort

Maastricht, in the summertime, is far from bereft of beautiful things to see when simply walking around the city. Stadspark, as mentioned before, is an extensive park in the city. One of the sections of the park runs alongside the old city walls, and takes you directly to Helpoort, the old city gate.

After gaining city rights in 1204, Maastricht built a wall around the city for defense purposes. Helpoort was the city gate for this set of walls which was constructed in 1229. As such, Helpoort is one of the oldest surviving city gates in the Netherlands.

As the city grew and developed, additional walls were built around the city which actually steered much of the traffic away from Helpoort. The movement of traffic away from Helpoort is probably one of the things that has enabled it to be standing today.

Yet another pretty place in Maastricht! 

A Stroll Through The Streets Of Maastricht

With a stroll through the streets of Maastricht one realizes the charm of this small, historic city. With mainly traditional style buildings, cobblestone streets, small boutiques, pedestrian paths and an atmosphere of tradition mixed pleasantly with modernity, Maastricht is a beautiful city. With the warm sunshine that is present currently, it seems that most city inhabitants, when not in work, are enjoying their days outside. One comes across many packed outdoor cafes where people are leisurely sipping at beverages and relaxing. What is extremely noticeable in this city is the heavy use of bicycles. As was often the case in Copenhagen, it seems that in Maastricht the most efficient way to get around is by bike. There are nice size bike lanes on every street and bikes are constantly seen when you walk anywhere. Since I liked the presence of bikes in Denmark, I am glad to find biking as a norm here in the Netherlands.

The city streets are so cozy that it becomes hard to choose which photographs to share from a walk through the streets. With the prevalence of bicycles here it is only natural that to familiarize you with Maastricht a bicycle picture would be included. The street view picture is how a typical street looks in Maastricht, and is actually showing one of the bigger streets as one can see by the presence of a bus.When walking down the streets, it evokes a feeling that the buildings here have witnessed a great deal. In English there is the expression "if walls could talk"; in a place like Maastricht one can not help but wonder what they would have to say.

One of the things I already have grown to love is the outdoor cafes, filling city squares with laughter, and a sense of relaxation.A great example of this is the pedestrian area around city hall which is ringed with cafes. Everyone in such areas around the city are quite relaxed, friendly and cheerful. Though it is probably partially due to the warm summer days currently in Maastricht, it is quite welcoming to see such positivity during my first week here.

Despite my lack of Dutch, Maastricht has been an easy city to begin to explore. I am glad and lucky that my Masters program is in such a beautiful place.

Stadspark

Near to where I am living is Stadspark, the biggest city park in Maastricht. It consists of many sub-parks and definitely warrants a walk through when in Maastricht. With gorgeous lawns, and shady trees, it is wonderful for the warm summer days that Maastricht is currently having. In this area there has been some sort of a park since the early 18th century. 

One of the unique things about this park is the various animal enclosures that are present in one of the sub-parks. Without knowing about the animals, the first time I walked through I was a bit perplexed as to why there were donkeys, deer, goats, and birds. After adjusting to the idea, it is quite nice to see some animals whilst taking a stroll in the nearby park. With its proximity to where I am living and to many University buildings, I can predict that I will be spending some time over the coming months absorbing the peacefulness present in this park.

Though you are not supposed to feed the animals, every time I have been to the park thus far some of the animals are receiving special treats from their visitors. Since the weather is presently quite warm, the park is quite popular with individuals and families alike. To me, it seems an ideal place to spend a day reading a book under the shade of a tree.

Sint Pieter

The area of Maastricht in which I am living is the Sint Pieter area. Naturally when you move to a new place you tend to first explore the area nearest to where you are living. As such, Sint Pieter was one of the first areas of Maastricht that I walked around in.

Sint Pieter is an area that is in the South West part of Maastricht. It is about 5 minutes by bike to the city center. Though it is so close to the city center, it is a quiet neighborhood that is only a few hundred meters away from farmland. Sint Pieter is a peaceful area that is mostly residential, with a couple cafes and boutiques. One of the highlights of the area, is a hill from which one has a great view of the city.

Also on this hill is Fort Sint Pieter. It was commissioned to be built by Daniel Wolf in the early 1700s. and served to defend Maastricht.

Sint Pieter seems to be a great area to be in, if you want to be close to the city center yet still want to be able to enjoy the benefits of being able to take walks or bike rides in a peaceful setting.

Maastricht - A New Beginning

This week, with the help of Ole and Birgitte, I moved to Maastricht in the Netherlands. I will be studying at Maastricht University for my Masters, and as such this move marks a new chapter of my life. I am quite excited for both my Masters program and this opportunity to get to know another city. As always, moving is a bit complicated since you are excited for that which is new, yet still missing everything you know. I know that the experiences I will have here will be worthwhile, and therefore I look upon the coming months as a big 'adventure'.

My first impression of Maastricht is that it is an adorable city, with a rich history that is apparent by walking down the streets. Maastricht is located in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, close to both the Dutch border with Belgium as well as the Dutch border with Germany. The city spans both sides of the Meuse river, and is considered home to over 120,000 individuals. 

Maastricht is one of the oldest cities, regarding the existence of a human settlement, in the Netherlands, though it did not receive official city rights until 1204. Throughout its history, Maastricht has been important in trade and manufacturing. It was also a very strategic position, which explains the fortifications which were built around the city. During its history the city has changed hands many times, and is a very international city today. Though it was said to have become a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, it was not until 1839 with the Treaty of London that this was officially implemented.

Today Maastricht is most widely known for the Maastricht Treaty, which was negotiated and signed in 1992. This led to the creation of the European Union as we know it, and the single European currency. 

As I explore the city I will explain different parts of the history in more depth, but for now suffice it to say that Maastricht has a very interesting history which I am excited to get to know over the coming months.