The most beautiful spots in Stadspark (city park) Maastricht

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The most beautiful spots in Stadspark (city park) Maastricht tell the story of medieval fortifications, beheaded traitors and exotic animals. From medieval towers for soldiers to city walls that had to keep out the enemy. From cute Bambi baby deer in the Deer Camp to roaring bears in the Berenkuil. From sunny picnic meadows to organic city gardens. In the city park, nature and history are there for the taking. We tip eight spots that add up to a relaxing stroll in green.

Onze Lieve Vrouwe city wall | Pater Vinck tower | Rondeel De Vijf Koppen | Deer Park | Walking along the city walls | Tapijn urban garden | Berenkuil | Monument of d'Artagnan |
  • Maastricht Stadspark (city park) in autumn swans in the water

Onze Lieve Vrouwe city wall

For a leisurely stroll overlooking nature, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwewal is the place to be. This old rampart borders the city park and the Meuse River. The elevation is formed by the former city walls that protected the city. The five old cannons at the foot of the rampart remind you that Maastricht used to be less quiet and peaceful than it is now. All year round, you can get a nice breath of fresh air here. Stroll along the quiet path past white houses overlooking the green park. From the rampart, you can see the Church of Our Lady nearby and on the horizon, the Meuse flows under the iconic Sint-Servaas bridge.

  • City wall in Maastricht city park from high bridge
  • Maastricht city wall cannons

Pater Vinck tower

Between a huge weeping willow and a neatly trimmed hedge stands the Pater Vinck tower. This is where Maastricht's history comes to life. The medieval tower stood on a corner of the old city wall, remnants of which can still be seen today. Early life in Maastricht took place within the walls that protected the entire city. Looking at the tower, your view is not very different from that of a Maastricht man living hundreds of years ago. The tower used to be accompanied by about 40 more such towers, but most of them have disappeared. The grey tower with a pointed dark roof is named after Father Vinck, one of the friars who was beheaded after the failed Betrayal of Maastricht. What that priest had to do with the tower? Little, he just happened to live nearby.

  • Maastricht city park turret and tree
  • Maastricht Stadspark (city park) Pater Vinck tower

Rondeel De Vijf Koppen

While travelling through the Stadspark (city park), don't miss the Rondeel De Vijf Koppen. Father Vinck was one of the unlucky ones whose head was exhibited here. Walk over the old city wall to the rondeel, a semi-circular balcony that is part of the thick city wall. You are standing in a historic place here. In 1638, there were five male heads "on display". These men were involved in the failed Betrayal of Maastricht. They were to surrender the city to the Spaniards during the Eighty Years' War. Maastricht would probably have looked very different now if that had succeeded!

Deer Park

Walking through Stadspark Maastricht, you pass by the deer park, home to a herd of fallow deer. Most fallow deer are brown with white dots, like Bambi, but every now and then an albino fallow deer is born. In summer, the Deer Camp is at its most beautiful, when the trees along the fences turn green and the animals eat fresh grass. Close to the deer camp is an aviary where many species of birds have lived since 1920. Information boards tell you who is currently flitting through the cage.

  • Maastricht Stadspark (city park) goat pasture
  • Stadspark (city park) Maastricht aviary

Walking along the city walls

Near the Hertenkamp, a section of the city ramparts runs right alongside the Jeker, the river that branches off from the Meuse and flows through Maastricht. The thick wall, with its several round towers and various old gates, is well preserved here. A small bridge over the water leads to the Nieuwenhofpoortje, a passageway in the wall that is about the size of an average door in a house. Where the Jeker splits in two, between two broad round towers, lies the Reek water gate. Here, the Jeker flows through a 14th-century gate which, following renovations, bears a strong resemblance to more modern locks. The best way to explore the wall and the gates is on a walk along the city ramparts.

  • Stadspark (city park) Maastricht bridge

Tapijn urban garden

The Stadspark is home to one of Maastricht's lushest and most fragrant gardens. The former Tapijn military barracks is now a green oasis named Tapijntuin. Volunteers develop and maintain the organic city garden. Stroll along the paths among colourful flowers and nearly ripe vegetables. Bees and other insects are also attracted to the fragrant flowers. Look for forgotten vegetable varieties and get inspiration for your own vegetable garden. Buy fresh vegetables from Maastricht soil in a large cupboard on the premises. Take a guided tour or a workshop where you can learn about sustainable food production, for example.

Berenkuil

You might find it hard to imagine when walking through the city park, but once a group of bears lived here. Their home was the berenkuil: a small, round concrete pen surrounded by high fences. The pit as you see it today was built in 1970 to replace a 1920s bear enclosure. Five bears lived there until two moved to make more space. In 1993, the last bear, named Jo, moved out of the pit and the enclosure became vacant. In 2001, artist Michel Huisman turned it into a monument to extinct animals. The artwork is called "the semi-automatic comfort machine". He placed a bronze statue of the sad bear Jo on a bench. In the berenkuil is a statue of a woman comforting a dying giraffe. If you turn the rotating handle next to the pit, the woman's arm caresses the giraffe's neck.

  • Maastricht city park bear on bench

  • Berenkuil

    The Berenkuil in the Stadspark is a former bear enclosure that is now a unique work of art and a reminder of the past. More info about Berenkuil

    Berenkuil berenkuil maastricht city park

Monument of d'Artagnan

What does one have to do to deserve a statue in Maastricht’s Stadspark? Be a legendary figure in the army and be killed on Maastricht soil, for example. Captain d’Artagnan was killed in a battle between his French army and their Spanish enemy. He died in 1673 at the Tongeren (city) gate. In 1977, he returned as a bronze statue, and now you can stand face to face with one of the most famous figures in Maastricht’s history. It was the writer Alexandre Dumas who made him world-famous in his books about the Three Musketeers.

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