Mosae Forum is one of the largest buildings in Maastricht's historic city centre. Located directly on the market, it is a place where residents do their shopping, or pick up their passports at the city office. For visitors, it is often the entrance to the city, from the car park they walk straight into the shopping area. However, it took a lot of work before Mosae Forum could be built...
Mosae Forum
Mosae Forum is a largely covered shopping centre in the historic city centre.
The east side of the Markt was broken up in the 1920s to make way for the landing of the Wilhelmina Bridge. Two entire blocks of centuries-old houses were demolished for this purpose. The new bridge was an immediate success, but a large part of the site then remained unused for more than 30 years. No fewer than twelve architects drew up plans for possible uses: offices, restaurants, a theatre. Economic crisis and WWII thwarted all these plans, and it was not until 1960 that the gaping hole on the market was filled. With a new Municipal Office designed by Frans Dingemans on one side of the bridge landing and J. Huysmans' Provincial Water Works office on the other.
Maastricht Glass Palace
However, those buildings were not yet finished, or people were already regretting them. The angular, functionalist style stood in stark contrast to the old town and met with considerable resistance. For although some enthusiasts praised the town hall as ‘Maastricht’s Glass Palace’, the general sentiment was still: “That waste land was actually nicer…” So, in the 1990s, a new plan was drawn up, though this was not solely due to criticism of the architecture: heavy traffic was causing increasing disruption, and on most days the market square was little more than a vast car park. So the wish list was long: a new town hall was needed; traffic along the Meuse had to go underground; there had to be plenty of parking space and enough room for shops. And all this in a striking design that would also respect the historic façades on the Markt.
Two architects,-two sections
Architect Bruno Albert from Liège was the first to take on the design. He drew up plans for a large covered shopping centre, the Mosae Forum, which, however, did not quite seem to fit in with the rest of the city centre in terms of scale. Jo Coenen was therefore approached to complete the design. This resulted in two building sections, each with its own character and signature style, which blend together wonderfully. Bruno Albert opted for an angular design in grey natural stone – the same colour as the old Town Hall in the centre of the Markt – allowing his building to blend effortlessly into the historic surroundings. Jo Coenen’s undulating white façades, on the other hand, inject dynamism into a design that would otherwise have remained rather dark and austere. His building draws your attention towards the Meuse, where the Mosae Forum gives way to a waterside promenade.
The collaboration of the two architects seems to be a continuation of an old tradition: the Maastricht bicommunal system. For centuries, the city was governed simultaneously by both a Liège and a Brabant (Dutch) rule. Both 'Lords' had half of the City Hall at their disposal. Now there is an architectural continuation in this modern building by a Liège and a Dutch architect. Is it a coincidence then that Albert's part is towards Liège and Coenen's part towards Brabant?
Underground tunnel
For the interior of Mosae Forum Forum, the architects worked with respect for history. The (demolished) 1960 city office was furnished with furniture by the legendary architect Dom Hans van der Laan, who lived as a monk in Benedictusberg monastery near Vaals. His robust furniture has been transferred to the counters of the new city office in Mosae Forum. Waiting for a new passport, every Maastricht resident has sat on a unique piece of architectural history. One last remnant of the demolished city office is hard to find and only seen by few in real life. Between the old City Hall in the middle of the market - where the offices of mayor and aldermen are - and the city office, they dug an underground corridor. The tunnel was conceived in a time without e-mail, so important files could be quickly taken to the right office. The passageway was preserved when Mosae Forum Forum was built, but is presumably less used today than in the past. Still a funny idea, while you buy bananas at the Friday market, the mayor walks under your feet towards the council chamber....
Historisch Centrum Limburg archives / Public Works Department, Municipality of Maastricht / Photo collection GAM 10787
Walk of Fame
Coenen and Albert's new Mosae Forum was not uncontroversial, by the way, because to create a walking route between the new shopping centre and the city centre, another centuries-old building had to be demolished: a passage right through the historic building 'De Blauwe Handt'. The façade from 1754 is still recognisable at the corner of Markt and Hoenderstraat, including a gable stone with a blue hand above the former front door. For many years, De Blauwe Handt was the place where the city prince could catch his breath between the busy carnival programme, giving the building the nickname 'the Prince's Room'. In memory of this, the newly created walkway through the building features a kind of 'walk of fame', the Prince's Gallery with the names of all city princes in the floor tiles.
Flying cows?
The walk of fame gives access to a covered square that feels warm and light thanks to the abundance of wood in the architecture. The square also has one of Maastricht's most remarkable street names: the Kwadevliegencour. A reference to Kwadevliegenstraat, one of the streets that people demolished here in the 1920s. In Maastricht dialect, people called this narrow alley the 'Koej Vlegestraot', but during the French occupation around 1800 that street was suddenly called Rue des Vaches Volants: the street of flying cows, a translation error! Nowadays, there are neither flying cows nor angry flies to be seen at this spot, but it is worth taking a look upstairs. The wooden pillars supporting the roof structure open upwards like gigantic parasols, providing welcome shelter from the wind and weather. Not for nothing that these wooden parasols in turn inspired the Mosae Forum Forum logo.
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In a city like Maastricht, every centimetre is steeped in history and stories
”
Joep Vossebeld
This article was written by Joep Vossebeld, artist, writer and exhibition maker. "In a city like Maastricht, every inch is steeped in history and stories. Digging out, collecting and passing on all those stories is an addiction I hope I will never get rid of..."
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