Low Fronts

The Frontenpark

A tour of Fronten Park past the northern wet defenses of the Wellington Barrier, which were used for industrial development in the 19th century, and covers both fortification and social history of early industrialization.

Starting point: film house Lumière

The inner harbor, the Bassin, is the starting point of the Front Park tour between defense heritage and industrial heritage. During the 19th century, Maastricht developed into the first industrial city of the Netherlands. Its favorable location on the water, proximity to the coal and iron mines of Liège and cheap labor made Maastricht suitable for this. Around the basin, paper, glass and ceramics industries and all kinds of ancillary activities arose. 

From garrison city to industrial city

The northern part of the fortress and part of the Hoge Fronten were rebuilt in the period after the French era (1795-1815). But warfare had changed so much in the meantime that the realization grew that fortifications as Maastricht knew them no longer served their purpose. Maastricht changed from a fortified city with a large garrison to an industrial city.

Dissolution of the fortress in 1867

In 1867, King William III signed the government decree abolishing the fortresses of Maastricht and Venlo, among others. With the demolition of the demolition of the northern fortress, area was freed up to establish factories and workshops here. The emerging industry could use many hands. In 1886-1887, a parliamentary committee of inquiry investigated through interrogations of workers at Regout's tile factory in Maastricht, among other things. This revealed that all sorts of abuses existed in factories, such as child labor, long working hours and poor working conditions.

The Frontenpark

The tour guides dwell on the history of the 19th century, the birth of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Belgian uprising that left Maastricht isolated from the rest of the Netherlands between 1830 and 1839, the blossoming of industry in Maastricht and the changes it brought to this part of Maastricht. By now the industry has left and the area is being redeveloped. The low fronts and connecting high fronts have become part of the rugged Frontenpark. 

Please fill out our request form to book your tour.
This is not a final reservation yet, but a request that we will be happy to help you with.

You will receive a confirmation email from us with all the details.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Zip code and City
Preferred date and time
Number of participants
Enter the number of participants. The price is p.p. with a minimum amount for 6 participants. Separate rates apply for groups with more than 15 participants.