Andre Rieu - New Maastricht Postage Stamp
MAASTRICHT
Maastricht was originally a Roman settlement beside a fordable spot over the River Maas, which afforded the Romans a place to build a bridge over which the major route, the Boulogne-Cologne road, could pass. This bridge was in service for more than a thousand years, collapsing around 1275. The bridge was soon replaced by the St Servatius Bridge, erected somewhat further north, which is still standing today. Saint Servatius, the patron saint of Maastricht who lived in the 4th century, was the first recorded bishop in the Netherlands. A wooden chapel was built over his grave and this was later replaced by a stone church. Construction of the Basilica of Saint Servatius was started at the turn of the 11th century. Keeping this RC church brotherly company is the Church of St John, which came into the possession of the protestants in 1633. Maastricht also has the oldest city gate in the Netherlands, the Helpoort. This gate, dating from 1229, earned its name (hell’s gate) from the fires of the blacksmith who set up business close by. Another long-standing building is the city hall, dating from 1662. This building has a Brabant and a Liège side, in keeping with the split rule over the city between the Prince Bishop of Liège and the Duke of Brabant that was in effect at that time.
Today, Maastricht is an elegant and lively city , as well as a centre of culture and a place of pilgrimage. The city boasts numerous museums, including the Bonnefanten Museum built in 1995, which hosts a collection of contemporary art and Old Masters. With its over 1,500 national heritage buildings, Maastricht comes only second to Amsterdam in the running for the title of greatest heritage city of the Netherlands. Maastricht’s most famous son is beyond a doubt the popular violinist and conductor André Rieu.
MAASTRICHT
“Roman era, Middle Ages, the Golden Age; you can find it all and lots of it in Maastricht,” according to Ed Annink, art director at Ontwerpwerk design agency who, along with graphic designers Joris Smidt and Sun Jung Hwang, is responsible for designing the Beautiful Netherlands 2010 series. “What goes for all the other provincial capitals is especially true in the case of Maastricht: it is the perfect place to take a walk.”
This richness gave the Ontwerpwerk team more than enough sites to include in this stamp sheetlet illustrated walking tour, the running theme of all the provincial capital stamp sheetlets in the Beautiful Netherlands 2010 series. The route follows along the major points of interest, with background information on these sites provided in the text boxes. You can read, for example, that the Basilica of Saint Servatius is considered to be the oldest church in existence in the Netherlands, that the Gothic Church of St John dates from around 1200, and that the St Servatius Bridge is a 13th century stone arch bridge. You also learn that the Bonnefanten Museum was designed by Aldo Rossi and that it was named after the Bonnefanten monastery (“monastery of the good children”). Spread across the sheetlet border you will also find the city’s highlights in silhouette: the Helpoort gate, the small tower adorning city hall, the Basilica of Saint Servatius, and André Rieu. A photo of a sculpture adorning the St Servatius Bridge is shown to the left of the border.
Ed Annink: “On the stamps, in the silhouette of the Basilica of Saint Servatius we see a part of this church, as well as a part of the Helspoort gate. At the bottom, the St Servatius Bridge connects the basilica with the Church of St John, and in the silhouette of the latter we see a photo fragment of the Bonnefanten Museum. To the right, a sculpture appears to be pursuing a fool’s cap, moving to the sound of André Rieu’s violin. The red fool’s cap, a reference to the Carnival festivities held annually in Maastricht, prances gaily across the stamps and around the sheetlet border.”
The stamps are available while stocks last from the Collect Club in Groningen, online at www.tntpost.nl and from the usual outlets. The stamps are valid until further notice.
The face value of each stamp is 44 euro cents.
Postage, if ordered from the Collect Club, would be around 15,99 Euros
Due to the length of the article we included only Maastricht in our report because the stamp shows the image of Andre in the center.
These are fantastic stamps...I love seeing Andre on the stamps.