A weak point remained the sector between the Jeker Tower and the Father Vinck Tower, which was shielded only by the first city wall.
Improved Security of Maastricht: Historical Developments
The security of Maastricht was significantly improved when the territory was extended southward by the siltation of the Jeker River and the annexation of part of the Liège seignory of St. Peter in 1486. In 1456, the alluvial terrain in front of Helpoort was reinforced with a bluestone wall. Three construction periods converge at the Father Vinck Tower: the first wall, the second wall and the 1456 stronghold. There are also three water gates here, two of which are still in use.
Expanding and Strengthening the New Town in Maastricht
Thirty years later, the magistrate had the newly created and incorporated area, the Nieuwstad, reinforced with a moat and an earthen wall. This provisional fortification was replaced between 1515 and 1517 by the surviving wall of light gray Namur stone, flanked by two heavy roundels with artillery casemates. These roundels bear the grim names "Haet and Envy" and "The Five Heads."
De Poort Waerachtig: Neo-Gothic Compensation in Maastricht
The narrow gate with the taunting name "Poort Waerachtig" is not actually a city gate in the traditional sense of a fortress gate. This neo-Gothic gate was built to compensate for a breakthrough in 1887 and 1888 that gave the Villapark neighborhood a better connection to St. Peter's Street.