Watery Wyck

Surrounding Wyck was an arm of the Meuse that was at least as wide as the Meuse that flowed between Maastricht and Wyck. Wyck on the other side of the Meuse, which was already naturally so well defensible due to its location in wetlands, was fortified in the 13th century. Troops of the Bishop of Liege in 1267 razed to the ground the tower that controlled the Meuse Bridge, and in 1284 and 1303 Wyck was sufficiently fortified to successfully withstand attacks by the Valkenburgers and the Liègemen. As to the nature of the entrenchment, not much else is known with certainty. From the beginning of the 14th century, a stone enceinte was established. Some towers were built in marl blocks, others, including the Maaspunt tower, the old Lambrechtsrondeel at the southern end and the Woutersrondeel at the northern end of the Maas wall, were built with coal sandstone.
The enclosure had a gate that gave access to the Meuse Bridge. In addition, two water gates and two field gates ( the Hoogbruggepoort or German Gate on the road to Aachen and on the north side the St. Martin's Gate)
Improvement after 1480 :A double earthen wall with six bulwarks
Anticipating more modern views, the magistrate constructed an entirely new enceinte around the enclosure in about 1480 in the form of a double earthen wall with six bulwarks. One of these included the passage of St. Martin's outer gate. The existence of this second enceinte sealed the fate of the ring wall. At first, it will probably still be used as a retaining wall. However, as the centuries passed, it will disappear piece by piece under the force of the demolition hammers, just like a large part of the first ramparts of Maastricht.
Remains of fortification in Wyck
Of Wyck's fortifications, only the lower part of the Meuse wall (it was originally as high as the one on the City side) was preserved. The original height can still be partially seen at the water gate, which was rebuilt in 1897 and partially restored in 2004. The Maaspunt tower (Lambrechtsrondeel), partially renewed in 1913, was also preserved. Contours of the Parmabastion can still be seen in the pavement near Plein 1992.
Missing from this beautiful river front is the Kruittoren, a rare flawless example of 14th century fortification art. It was demolished in 1868 due to lack of historical awareness and never rebuilt. (It would mar the beauty of Cuypers' neo-Gothic Martinus Church).