Maastricht Museum

On the first floor of Centre Céramique, the hidden tales of this extraordinary city are told — not just in Dutch and English, but in the Maastricht dialect too. This is the place to go if you’re keen to explore the history of Maastricht. The timeline of the permanent display takes you on a journey through five important themes in the history of the city, all the way from prehistoric times to the industrial revolution.

Impressive journey through time
This journey through time starts around 7,000 years ago, with the first permanent settlers. From there, we move forward to the Romans, who were the first to build a bridge across the Meuse in this location. Next, we pay a visit to the Maastricht of the early middle ages (500-1000 AD): a political and religious hub. Via the fortified city of the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, we then arrive at the first industrialized city in the Netherlands in the early nineteenth century

The least Dutch city
Up until deep into the eighteenth century, Maastricht had forged much stronger connections with the regions to its east, west, and south than with the Dutch Republic to the north. As a result, to the Dutch, visiting Maastricht feels like being a tourist in your own country. No wonder then that in the twentieth and twenty-first century, Maastricht evolved to become a truly European city with knowledge and innovation at its core.

Your Maastricht story
The museum timeline takes you through all of these eras, but there are so many more tales to be told about this city! Maastricht Museum digs up these hidden stories and shares them for posterity. Got a cool story to tell? Share it with us, and it might get its very own spot at the museum! 
How cool would that be? 

Not long now…
Over the next weeks and months, we’ll be working hard to finish the museum. For now, you can take a peek behind the scenes, free of charge! You can also keep track of the latest developments via social media and our newsletter. At the end of June, we’ll be launching our exhibition about the Siege of Maastricht of 1673, the French capture of the city, Louis XIV, d’Artagnan, and many more stories you’re unlikely to have heard before. From 23 June onward, an admission fee will be payable.