Timeline of Maastricht

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The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of Maastricht, Netherlands.

Roman Period

• circa 10 BC - Construction of Roman main road from Cologne to the coast (Via Belgica [nl]).
• 1st half of 1st century AD - Maastricht Roman bridge [nl] built; gradual development of settlement on both sides of the river Meuse.
• ca. 150 - Construction of Roman baths and walled sanctuary (with a 9-meter sculpted Jupiter column).
• ca. 270 - Destruction of Roman Maastricht by invading Germanic tribes.
• 333 - Roman Castellum, Maastricht [nl] (fortress) built.
• 384 - Death of Saint Servatius in Maastricht (traditional); establishment of Roman Catholic Diocese of Maastricht (uncertain; this may have happened in the 6th c. only).^[1]

Middle Ages

• ca. 570 - Bishop Monulph builds a large stone church on the grave of Saint Servatius.
• ca. 590-670 - At least twelve royal mint masters active in Maastricht.
• 595 - Childebert II in Maastricht.
• 667-670 - Childeric II in Maastricht.
• 690-695 - Clovis IV in Maastricht.
• ca. 700 - Murder of Lambert of Maastricht.
• 720 - Seat of the Maastricht diocese moved to Liège (traditional date; this may have happened later in the 8th/9th c.).
• late 8th/early 9th c. - Alcuin and Einhard (lay) abbots of Saint Servatius.
• 881 - Sack of Maastricht [nl] by Vikings.^[2]
• 1001 - Reburial of Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine in the crypt of the church of Saint Servatius.
• 11th/12th c. - Chapter of Saint Servatius [nl] at its apogee; at least five successive provosts were chancellors of the Holy Roman Empire; collegiate churches of Saint Servatius and Our Lady renewed.
• 1204 - Siege of Maastricht (1204) [nl] by Hugues de Pierrepont, prince-bishop of Liège, and Louis II, Count of Loon; Maastricht condominium [nl] established between Liège and Brabant.
• 1229 - Duke of Brabant gives permission to replace the (partly?) earthen defence works by a stone city wall.
• 1230 - Order of St Mary Magdalene ("white nuns") establish monastery in Maastricht (until 1796).
• 1234 - Franciscans establish a monastery in Maastricht (throughout the ages around twenty Franciscan monasteries [nl] existed in Maastricht, including Third Order monasteries).
• ca. 1240 - Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony establish monastery ('commandry') in Maastricht (until 1783).
• ca. 1250 - Dominicans and Augustinians establish monasteries in Maastricht (until 1796).
• 1251 - First mention of Nieuwenhof [nl] beguinage, later turned into several monasteries of Third Order Franciscan nuns and friars.
• 1275 - Roman bridge collapses during a procession; many drowned.
• 1280-98 - Sint Servaasbrug (bridge) built.^[3]
• 1282 - Teutonic Order establish a commandry in Maastricht (until 1796).
• mid-14th century - second medieval city wall built, enlarging the city surface by 400%.
• 1376 - first mention of Saint Andrew Monastery [nl], first a beguinage, later a monastery of Third Order Franciscan nuns.
• 1391 - First recorded instance of the seven-yearly Pilgrimage of the Relics.
• 1407/08 - Siege of Maastricht (1407/08) [nl] by Liège rebels.
• 1438 - Crosier Monastery, Maastricht established (until 1796)
• ca. 1470 - Dinghuis courthouse built.
• 1476 - De Beyart [nl] established, monastery of Third Order Franciscan nuns.

16th–18th century

• 1535 - Fifteen anabaptists burned in Vrijthof.
• 1551 - Jacob Bathen starts printing and publishing business.^[4]
• 1566 - Beeldenstorm in Maastricht; several churches looted by fanatic Protestants.
• 1570 - Jesuits establish a monastery and a college (1575).
• 1576 - Sack of Maastricht [nl] by Spanish troops and German mercenaries.
• 1579 - Siege of Maastricht (1579) by Spanish forces, followed by three-day sack; all Protestants killed or expelled.^[3]
• 1632 - Capture of Maastricht by Dutch forces;^[5][6] equal rights for Protestants and Catholics; several churches ceded to Protestants.
• 1638 - Maastricht Treason [nl]: 22 traitors accused of helping the Spanish in recapturing the city; nine are executed.
• 1662 - Municipal library founded.^[7][8]
• 1673 - Siege of Maastricht (1673) by French forces.^[3]
• 1678 - Peace of Nijmegen: French vacate the city; Dutch in power.^[5]
• 1683 - Maastricht City Hall completed, designed by Pieter Post. Sint Servaasbrug (bridge) partly re-built.^[3]
• 1748 - Siege of Maastricht (1748) by French forces; occupation lasted only a few months.^[3] Large scale model of the city and its fortifications built by the French (now in the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille).
• 1789 - Bonbonnière [nl] theatre opens.
• 1793 - Siege of Maastricht (1793) by French forces (failed).
• 1794 - Capture of Maastricht (1794) [nl] by French forces.^[3]
• 1795 - Maastricht becomes capital of the French Meuse-Inférieure département as part of the French First Republic, later First French Empire (until 1814).
• 1796 - Suppression of the monasteries and religious chapters in Maastricht; parish churches remain open if priests take the Oath of Hatred [nl], which many refuse. Many art treasures, libraries and archives destroyed or looted.

19th century

• 1805 - Generaalshuis [nl] (now a theater) built in Vrijthof.
• 1811 - General Cemetery Tongerseweg [nl] established (including Jewish Cemetery, Maastricht [nl]).
• 1815 - Maastricht becomes capital of the Province of Limburg, as part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• 1822 - Société des Amis des Sciences, Lettres et Arts founded (precursor of Limburg Historical and Antiquarian Society; see 1929).^[9]
• 1824 - Population: 20,271.^[10]
• 1826 - Zuid-Willemsvaart (canal), including Bassin, Maastricht [nl] (port) opened.
• 1834 - Petrus Regout [nl] manufacturer of glass and pottery in business.^[11]
• 1837 - Maastricht City Park [nl] in use.
• 1838 - Saint Nicholas Church, Maastricht [nl] demolished.
• 1840 - Maastricht Synagogue [nl] built.^[12]
• 1850 - Liège-Maastricht Canal [nl] dug, parallel to Meuse. Many buildings on the riverside demolished, including Antonite Church, Maastricht [nl]
• 1851 - Le Courrier de la Meuse [nl] French-language newspaper begins publication.
• 1853 - Aachen-Maastricht Railway Company [nl] begins operating.^[13]
• 1859 - Saint Martin's Church, Maastricht [nl] rebuilt.^[3]
• 1861 - Liège–Maastricht railway begins operating.
• 1863 - Société Céramique [nl] manufactory in business.
• 1865 - Maastricht–Venlo railway begins operating.
• 1866 - Population: 28,495.^[14]
• 1867 - Maastricht taken off list of fortified cities. Medieval city wall and ring of outer fortifications largely dismantled between 1867 and circa 1920.
• 1877 - Population: 29,083.^[15]
• 1881 - Limburg State Archives headquartered in former First Minorite Church, Maastricht [nl].^[16]
• 1884 - Bonnefantenmuseum established (as a museum of archaeology and local history).
• 1886 - Courrier du Limbourg newspaper begins publication.^[17]

20th century

• 1902 - MVV Maastricht football club formed.
• 1904 - Population: 36,146.^[3]
• 1912 - Maastricht Natural History Museum founded.
• 1915 - Maastricht railway station opens (current station; it had several predecessors).
• 1916 - Saint Lambert Church built in Neo-Byzantine style.
• 1919 - Population: 41,305.^[18]
• 1920 - Annexation of Sint Pieter and Oud-Vroenhoven, as well as parts of Borgharen, Meerssen, Amby, Heer and Gronsveld. The area of the municipality of Maastricht increases from 4.15 km² to 35 km². Its population increases to 54,268.
• 1926 - Eerste Nederlandse Cement Industrie factory begins operating; large section of Mount Saint Peter becomes limestone quarry.
• 1929 - Limburg Historical and Antiquarian Society [nl] established.
• 1932 - Wilhelmina Bridge [nl] built.
• 1935 - Juliana Canal opened.

Liberation of Maastricht on 14 September 1944

• 1940, 10 May - Battle of Maastricht; German occupation begins.
• 1942 - Most of Maastricht's more than 500 Jews deported and killed in German concentration and extermination camps.
• 1944, 13/14 September - Liberation of Maastricht [nl]: US troops of 30th Infantry Division ("Old Hickory") liberate the city.
• 1944/45 - Maastricht serves as 'rest center' for allied forces. Maastricht Aachen Airport begins operating.
• 1944, 7 December - Maastricht Meeting. Allied commanders Omar Bradley, Arthur Tedder, Dwight Eisenhower, Bernard Montgomery and William Hood Simpson meet in Maastricht to discuss further strategy.
• 1948 - Jan Van Eyck Academie established.
• 1950 - Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts established.
• 1959 - Maastricht Institute of Arts active.
• 1960 - Population: 90,202.
• 1961 - De Geusselt stadium built.
• 1962 - Maastricht Academy of Music established.
• 1968 - John F. Kennedy Bridge, Maastricht [nl] opens.^[19]
• 1970 - Annexation of Borgharen, Itteren, Amby and Heer, as well as parts of Meerssen, Bemelen and Gronsveld. The area of the municipality of Maastricht increases from 35 km² to 59 km² and its population from 93,500 to 112,500.
• 1973 - Museum aan het Vrijthof established.
• 1975 - The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) starts as Pictura Fine Art Fair in Eurohal Exhibition Centre.
• 1976 - Maastricht University opens.^[20]
• 1981 - First European Council in Maastricht.
• 1987 - Maastricht Randwyck railway station and Lumiere Cinema^[21] open.
• 1988 - TEFAF moves to MECC Maastricht; Museumkelder Derlon [nl] (Roman excavation site) opens.
• 1990 - Population: 117,008.
• 1991 - Academic Hospital Maastricht opens. 9/10 December: Second European Council in Maastricht.
• 1992 - 7 February: Maastricht Treaty signed in city;^[11] Theater aan het Vrijthof [nl] opens.
• 1995 - Bonnefantenmuseum moves to new building by Aldo Rossi in Céramique [nl] district.
• 1999 - Centre Céramique [nl] (library and arts centre) opens.

21st century

• 2002 - Gerd Leers becomes mayor; Mestreechs Volksleed [nl] officially adopted as the city's anthem.
• 2003 - Hoge Brug (pedestrian bridge) opens.
• 2005 - Limburg History Centre [nl] (HCL) created through merger of national and city archives.
• 2006 - Entre Deux [nl] shopping mall rebuilt; Bookshop in adjacent Dominican Church, Maastricht [nl].
• 2010 - Onno Hoes becomes first openly gay mayor of Maastricht.
• 2013 - Maastricht Noord railway station opens.
• 2014 - Population: 121,906 municipality; 182,721 metro.
• 2015 - Annemarie Penn-te Strake becomes first female mayor of Maastricht.
• 2016 - Koning Willem-Alexandertunnel [nl] officially opened.

See also

• Maastricht history
• History of Maastricht [nl]
• List of mayors of Maastricht
• List of rijksmonuments in Maastricht [nl]
• Other names of Maastricht
• Timelines of other municipalities in the Netherlands: Amsterdam, Breda, Delft, Eindhoven, Groningen, Haarlem, The Hague, 's-Hertogenbosch, Leiden, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Utrecht