King's Day Maastricht 2020 route

Distance 1.0 km

Duration 2 hours 30 minutes

We have so many sights, sounds, and scents that we want to show the Royal Family during their visit to Maastricht, so the Royal Family's walking route for 27 April will feature the best that Maastricht has to offer.

This includes the feeling of living in a city that is at the heart of Europe, where historical highlight…

This includes the feeling of living in a city that is at the heart of Europe, where historical highlights and trendy hotspots intermingle. It will also include the scents typical of the city – whether you're strolling through the narrow streets or crossing terraces and squares. We also want to show that people in Maastricht don't rush but instead choose to take our time to enjoy ourselves. This is because Maastricht people believe in the value of the good life, and we welcome both domestic and international guests and students to share it with us. As we have so much that we want the Royal Family to see, taste, or listen to during their King's Day 2020 visit, the Royal Family's walking route for 27 April will feature the best sights, sounds, and scents that Maastricht has to offer. In addition to a number of historic and contemporary hotspots, the route is full of local and royal facts that you may not yet know.

Each week, we will reveal fun, new facts and unveil another part of the route. Click on the description of the route on this page and keep an eye on our social media channels.

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Sights on this route

Starting point: Sint Servaasbrug
6221 Maastricht

St Servatius Bridge (Sint Servaasbrug)

Sint Servaasbrug
Maastricht

The Mestreechter Geis statue

Het Bat 1
6211 EX Maastricht

Het Bat

Het Bat
Maastricht

The grain market (Graanmarkt)

De Graanmarkt
Maastricht

City park

Stadspark
6211 Maastricht

Onze Lieve Vrouwe square

Onze Lieve Vrouweplein
6211 HD Maastricht

Vrijthof square

Vrijthof
6211 LE Maastricht

End point: Vrijthof
6211 Maastricht

Directions

Starting point: Sint Servaasbrug
6221 Maastricht

Each week, we will reveal fun, new facts and unveil another part of the route. Keep a close eye on this page and our social media channels!

St Servatius Bridge (Sint Servaasbrug)

- St Servatius Bridge is known as the ‘Aw Brögk’ (old bridge) in Maastricht, as it is the oldest bridge in the Netherlands (built in 1289).

- In 1925, Queen Wilhelmina and prinses Juliana were in Maastricht because of maintenance on the Juliana channel (Julianakanaal) where the Maas runs through as well. When the sixteen-year-old princess Juliana was given the silver shovel so that she could turn the first sod of the Juliana channel, she jokingly offered to do the entire job herself, to the amusement of all attendees. If you stand on St Servatius Bridge and physically turn the 90 degrees to the right, you will see Wilhelminabrug bridge (also known as the Nuij Brögk or ‘new bridge’).

- The Royal Walking Route starts at the exact centre of the city, between Wyck and Maastricht's city centre. Most notably, it starts at the bridge over the Meuse. As former ‘Prins der Wateren’ (Prince of the waters), King Willem-Alexander will undoubtedly feel at home here.

‘Mestreechter Geis’

- Charm, playfulness, good humour, and joie de vivre: that's the best way to describe the ‘Spirit of Maastricht' (Mestreechter Geis). The bronze statue on Houtmaas by artist Mari Andriessen perfectly encapsulates this spirit.

- Roman bridge monument
You’ll see it rising from the water as you stroll from Houtmaas along the Meuse river: the Roman bridge monument, which recalls the first Roman bridge to span the Meuse before Servaasbrug (St. Servatius Bridge) was built.

Het Bat

- Batteraof
Batteroaf is a typical Maastricht word to refer to a cheeky person. The word is derived from the people who used to carry bags of coal from the quay via Het Bat to the city. The black powder that seeped from the bags turned them black as ravens.