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Hotel de Ville. MAASTRICHT. 29. Route. 265
Maas-Trecht (Trajectum ad Mosam) is the Trajectum Superius of the Ro-
e ‘lower ford’ was at Utrecht, p. 438), where the road from Bavay
) Cologne crossed the river, and from 382 to 721 was the seat of
t
hither from Tongeren by St. Servatius (d. 384). It
kings, several of whom resided in the adjacent
after 1201 was in the joint possession of the Dukes
nd the Prince Bishops of Liége, under the administration of
Baad’. In 1576 Maastricht, which had thrown in its lot with
rlandish patriots, won back by the Spaniards after a short
‘ ; but it was again ged in 1579 by Spanish troops under the
Du Parma, and on this occasion held out for four months. The
garrison, which consisted of 1200 soldiers (French, English, and Scottish),
7000 of the townsp >, and 1000 peasants from the environs, finally
suc on June 29th. The victors plundered the town for three days
and put 8000 of the inhabitants to death. In 1632 the town was captured
by Prince Fred. Henry of Orange, and in 1673, 1748, and 1794 by the French.
Maastricht was successfully maintained by the Dutch against the Belgians
in 1830.
From the railway-station (Pl. C, 2) the Station-Straat and the
Brugstraat lead through the quiet suburb of Wyk to the Meuse, on
which, a few paces to the right, stands the modern Gothic Church of
St. Martin (Pl. C, 2), built by P. J. H. Cuypers.
The Meuse Bridge (Pl. B, 3), with its nine arches, crossing the
river and the Liage Canal, was erected in 1280-98 and rebuilt in 1683.
About 220 yds. farther up a Roman bridge once crossed the river.
Crossing the bridge to the left bank of the river, we bear to the
right from the Brugstraat into the Kleine Staat and reach the so-
called Old Hétel de Ville (Oud Stadhuis; Pl. 6), also called the
Dinghuis, of the end of the 15th cent., now used as a Provincial
Museum (Oudheidkundig Museum), containing Roman and medieval
antiquities (adm. 9-4; 25 c.). — Hence the Groote Staat leads to
the W. to the Vrythof (p. 266), while the Muntstraat leads to the
N. to the market-place. In a side-street off the Muntstraat stands
the former Augustine Church, with a fine E. fagade in the baroque
style, facing the Meuse.
The Stadhuis, or Hotel de Ville, with its clock-tower, situated
in the Groots Marx (Pl. B, 2), was erected in 1658-64 by Pieter
Post, and deserves a visit on account of the fine proportions of the
interior. Adjoining the domed entrance-hall are several rooms con-
taining pictures, old leather hangings, and Brussels tapestry by
Van der Borght (1702), representing the history of the Israelites in
the wilderness (open on week-days 9-6, Sun. and holidays 9-1; fee
95-50 c.).— To the N. of the Stadhuis, at the beginning of the Bosch-
straat, a bronze statue, by B. van Hove (Pl. 2; 1904), commemorates
J. P. Minckeleers, the chemist, one of the discoverers of coal-gas
(18th cent.). The R. ©. Church of St. Matthew (St. Matthiaskerk ;
Pl. B, 2), is a late-Gothic building of the close of the 15th century.
From the S.W. corner of the Market the Spilstraat leads to the
Groote Staat, in which, on the right, stands the former Church of
the Dominicans (P1.4; now a concert-hall), a fine Gothic building
with noteworthy mural paintings (1337).
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