Cuypershuis


Prolific Roermond-born architect Pierre Cuypers (1827–1921) is best known for building Amsterdam's Centraal Station and Rijksmuseum but he also restored scores of churches and castles. His former home and workshop, once essentially a 19th-century design showroom for patrons of the neo-Gothic, offers fascinating insights to the processes he used. Don't miss the punteermachine in the wood-drying loft, a copying device that was used to re-create statues at different scales.

Signage is in Dutch but a booklet of English translations is available on request. The museum also hosts regularly changing design-oriented exhibitions and has an appealing cafe garden. It's a 15-minute walk south of central Munsterplein.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Munsterkerk

0.36 MILES

Built in 1218 as the abbey church of a long-gone Cistertian convent, the impressive pale-stone Munsterkerk retains some features of its original late…

2. Sint-Christoffelkathedral

0.58 MILES

Roermond's cathedral has 15th-century origins: if the tower looks a little less than antique, that's because retreating Nazi forces dynamited the original…

3. Thorn

6.64 MILES

If you're driving between Maastricht and Eindhoven, the very pretty historic village of Thorn (pronounced To-ren) makes a delightful short detour. Once…

4. Limburgs Museum

14.68 MILES

A short walk from the train station, this engrossing modern museum makes brilliant use of space and a variety of audiovisuals to walk visitors through the…

5. Romeinse Katakomben

23.47 MILES

This replica of Roman catacombs was installed in an old limestone mine by architect Pierre Cuypers of Roermond and Rijksmuseum fame. Visits are only…

6. Kasteel van Valkenburg

23.55 MILES

These modest 11th- and 12th-century ruins sit on a small knoll directly above central Valkenburg giving the little town its visual focus, especially when…

7. Markt

26.65 MILES

The Markt, Maastricht's commercial heart, still hosts markets several times a week in the shadow of the 1664 city hall, a distinctively spired, cubic…

8. Centre Ceramique

26.76 MILES

Primarily a state-of-the-art library, this modern airy cube also has changing exhibitions in the spacious foyer area.