Binnenstad (Maastricht)

Vrijthof is a large urban square in the centre of Maastricht, Netherlands. The square developed from an ancient Roman and Frankish cemetery into a semi-private space that belonged to the Collegiate Church of Saint Servatius. In the 19th century it became the town's main square. It is surrounded by important heritage buildings, museums, a theatre and a range of hotels, restaurants and bars. The square is regularly used for public events.

The Fotomuseum aan het Vrijthof (previously: Museum aan het Vrijthof and Museum Spaans Gouvernement) is a museum of photography in Maastricht, Netherlands.

The Sint-Janskerk (Saint John Church) is a Gothic church in the center of the Dutch city of Maastricht. The Protestant Sint-Jan is situated next to the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saint Servatius on the Vrijthof, a unique sight in the Netherlands.

The Basilica of Saint Servatius is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Servatius, in the city of Maastricht, the Netherlands. The architecturally hybrid but mainly Romanesque church is situated next to the Gothic church of Saint John, backing onto the town's main square, Vrijthof.

The Stadhuis is the town hall in the centre of Maastricht in the Netherlands. It is sited on the Markt. The building was designed by Pieter Post in the 17th century in the style of Dutch classicism.

Huis Soiron is a former canon house in the center of the Dutch city of Maastricht. It is located at Grote Gracht 82 in the central neighborhood Statenkwartier and as of 2004 is owned by Maastricht University, which also occupies several nearby properties, including the Hof van Tilly. The building from the late 18th century possesses a number of rooms with lavish stucco work in Louis XVI style and has been a national monument since 1966.

The Toneelacademie Maastricht, institute of performative arts is a college of dramatic arts located in the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. It is part of the Zuyd University (Zuyd Hogeschool). The school is housed in a former Protestant orphanage in the historic Jekerkwartier in Maastricht. The training found at the various academies of dramatic arts in the Netherlands comes under the heading Hoger Beroepsonderwijs (HBO), meaning Higher Professional Education. The Toneelacademie Maastricht, institute of performative arts, offers a 4-year Bachelor's programme and a 2-year postgraduate programme leading to a master's degree. The Toneelacademie Maastricht, institute of performative arts has a solid reputation in the Netherlands. Many famous Dutch and Flemish theatre and film actors and directors, playwrights, scenographers, costume designers, and performers were educated there, including Bram Bart, Peter Blok, Pierre Bokma, Maxime De Winne, Tijn Docter, Maria Goos, Boris van der Ham, Isa Hoes, Carice van Houten, Fedja van Huêt, Gaite Jansen, Ad van Kempen, Marwan Kenzari, Hans Kesting, Melody Klaver, Martijn Lakemeier, Sylvia Millecam, Jérôme Reehuis, Halina Reijn, Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen, Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen, Ariane Schluter, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Daan Schuurmans, Johan Simons (also as a professor), Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, Dolf de Vries, Jeroen Willems, Sylvia Hoeks, and many others.

The Dinghuis (Ding House) is a building in downtown Maastricht, Netherlands, constructed at the end of the 15th century. (Ding is the Dutch name for the governing assembly known in most Germanic languages as a thing.) The building was constructed in the gothic style of architecture. The northern façade, built around 1470, is timber-framed, and the main façade, built of Namur stone, has a pediment containing a grand clock face. At the top of the steeply sloped roof is a tower that was once used as a lookout. The Dinghuis served mainly administrative and judicial functions (a ding/thing being a judicial assembly), and its cellars contained gaols for holding prisoners. In 1713, the Dinghuis also served as a theater. Today, it is home to the town's visitor center.

Bistro Chez Jacques is a defunct restaurant in Maastricht, Netherlands. It was a fine dining restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star in 1976 and retained that rating until 1979.Its owner and head chef was Jacques Zeguers.In January 1973, Zeguers was offered a brown bear for his restaurant. Zeguers accepted the bear and served it. Self-styled animal protector and arms dealer Pistolen Paultje (officially Paul Wilking) was not happy with that and threatened to thrash the restaurant when he dared to serve a second bear.

Au Coin des Bons Enfants is a restaurant in Maastricht, Netherlands. It is a fine dining restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star in the period 1958–1970 and 2006–2012. GaultMillau awarded the restaurant 15.0 out of 20 points. The first head chef was Theo Koch. In 1995, George Taselaar took over the restaurant and became head chef.The restaurant is located in a former orphanage, originally built in 1750.

Maastricht University (abbreviated as UM; Dutch: Universiteit Maastricht) is a public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, it is the second youngest of the thirteen Dutch universities. In 2021, 22,383 students studied at Maastricht University, 56% of whom were foreign students, with over 4,000 employees. About half of the bachelor's programmes are fully offered in English, while the other half is taught wholly or partly in Dutch. Most of the master's and doctoral programmes are in English. Besides traditional programmes, Maastricht University also has three honours liberal arts colleges: University College Maastricht and the Maastricht Science Programme in the same liberal arts tradition. The satellite University College Venlo opened in 2015. Maastricht University regularly ranks as one of Europe's leading universities. The university has been placed in the top 300 universities in the world by five major ranking tables. Maastricht University was at 88th place in the Times Higher Education World Ranking in 2016 (127th as of 2021), and 4th among Young Universities (6th in 2021). Amongst others, Maastricht University's master's programme in International Business is ranked 25, being in the top 25 of the best business programmes in the world according to the Financial Times, and its Law Faculty is ranked in 3rd place within the European Union and 23rd worldwide by the Times Higher Education World Ranking for the 2021-2022 period. In 2013, Maastricht University was the second Dutch university to be rewarded the ‘Distinctive Quality Feature for Internationalisation’ by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO).

The Onze Lieve Vrouweplein ("Square of Our Lady"; Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɔnzə ˌlivə ˈvrʌuʋəˌplɛin]; Limburgish: Slevrouweplein [sləˈvʀɔwəˌplɛːn˦]) is a square in the historic center of Maastricht, the Netherlands. The square is situated south of Maastricht's pedestrianised shopping district. Well known for its many café terraces, it is a popular place with tourists and local people alike. The Onze Lieve Vrouweplein was originally named Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerkhof, because it was the churchyard of the Basilica of Our Lady and the neighbouring parish church of Saint Nicholas (demolished in 1838). The Romanesque Basilica of Our Lady is famous for the statue of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, the 12th-century figurative capitals in the choir ambulatory, and the church treasury (Schatkamer Onze-Lieve-Vrouwebasiliek). In 1986, remains were discovered of a 2nd-century AD Jupiter column as part of an enclosed shrine, as well as the remnants of a former Roman castrum dating back to c. 313 AD. The preserved archaeological excavations can be visited in the basement of Hotel Derlon (Museumkelder Derlon; free of charge, after obtaining permission from the hotel staff). The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), an EU-affiliated independent institute carrying out training and research on public administration and European policies, is located at Onze Lieve Vrouweplein. Until 1986 it occupied the so-called House with the Pelican, an Art Nouveau former bank building. Since 1986 it is based in a former canon's house nearby (Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 22) and several modern premises in the courtyard of that building. The House with the Pelican became the main office for the European Centre for Development Policy Management.