Parking near Militaire Hoofdwacht

The Military Main Guardhouse was built around 1730, when Maastricht was an important fortified city in the Southern Netherlands. As a garrison town, it had a considerable troop strength and the guardhouse was the nerve centre of that military presence. Here soldiers kept watch, commanders reported to the commander and detainees were temporarily detained. The room at the top once even served as a residence for officers.

The neoclassical façade is sober and plain - no ornaments, no fuss, just what you would expect from a military building. The heavy doors and wide steps still exude the atmosphere of commandos, boots on stone and marching music in the distance. Inside, everything was functional: cells, waiting rooms, offices. But outside, on the Vrijthof, the Main Guard mainly radiated something that everyone understood: here you had to behave.

With the end of the military presence in Maastricht, the Military Head Guard lost its original function. The soldiers disappeared, but the building remained standing. This as a silent reminder of the time when Maastricht was not only a university town or Burgundian refuge, but also a strategic stronghold with gates, barracks and forts. Today, the building is in use as office space and municipal site, but its historical function remains visible and tangible.

It is easy to walk past it, between the Saint Servatius Basilica, theatre and cafés. Yet the Military Main Guard is an important landmark in the cityscape, an architectural resting point in a square full of movement. If you stop for a moment, you can feel the history: the invisible marching orders, the muffled shouts of the guard, the waiting for orders that never come again.

Are you visiting the Military Headquarters and want to be assured of a parking space? Then simply reserve your parking space online at Q-Park Mosae Forum. Would you rather park somewhere else in Maastricht? Take a look at our complete offer of parking facilities in Maastricht.

What does it cost to park near the Military Head Guard in Maastricht?

At Q-Park Mosae Forum you can park from as little as €28.50 per day. Reserve your parking space online in advance and be assured of a parking space. You can easily drive in and out based on your license plate and you don't have to pass by the pay machine.