Kruisherenhotel: a unison of times

The Kruisherenhotel is located in the heart of monumental Maastricht, on a street conveniently labeled “Kruisherengang” (Kruisheren passageway).

From church to hotel
The Kruisheren church, named after the Roman-catholic order of the Crutched Friars, was built in Maastricht in the early fourteen hundreds. The chancel was completed in 1459, and the adjoining cloister complex was added in the following decades, reaching completion in 1520. The cloister stayed in use until the French occupation of the city in 1796.

Subsequently, no ecclesiastical affairs were conducted in the buildings for well over 200 years, with the exception of a brief period between 1983 and 1993, when the Kruisheren church served as temporary parish church during the restoration of the Basilica of St. Servatius.

Before being transformed into a hotel, the gothic church was owned by the city and served as a rehearsal venue for the Limburg opera company “Opera zuid”. The cloister was left abandoned, its only occupants being a collection of pigeons and graffiti, plus the occasional human representative from the streets of Maastricht. Windows were nailed shut, and although the walls were still standing, the roof was on the verge of caving in.

In 2003 signatures were placed on official documents, and the buildings were handed over from government to commerce. Camille Oostwegel, the renowned Limburg hotelier, took it upon himself to transform the rundown church and cloister into the enchanting designer hotel we can admire today.

Two years of restoration works were necessary for Oostwegel’s dream to turn into reality. Ruins soon made way for art and functionality. The Kruisherenhotel officially opened on 1 May, 2005. Nowadays it has been a successfully running hotel for about three years and a half.

Thank you George!
Upon opening the Kruisherenhotel hit the ground running. Practically from day one all its rooms were fully occupied. The driving force behind this instantaneous success turns out to be no one else than US President George W. Bush, who took temporary residence at Chateau St. Gerlach, another one of Camille Oostwegel’s “Châteaux hotels”, As a consequence, all the guests of the fully booked St Gerlach Hotel had to be relocated elsewhere. The Kruisherenhotel appeared as the obvious choice.

A dazzling start for the newly inaugurated hotel, with special thanks to George W!

The courtyard of the hotel was designed by Ingo Maurer, a German lighting designer, or as the Dutch would put it; a “licht-architect”. Even though the artist is nearly 80 years old, no less than 150 people are working under him, and he is one of the “hottest” people in the world of design.

Special about the courtyard are its striking white tiles, which strongly emphasise the contract between old and new, and in winter mimic snowy days. Another astonishing piece of art is the “Delirium aqua”. The bottom of this tall pillar is equipped with a computer driven propeller, which mobilises 3000 liters of water. The downward spiraling water pulls a white ball towards the ground and twirls pieces of glitter around within the cylinder. The view is especially spectacular at night. A noteworthy detail: Rumor has it that the pieces of glitter are made of gold-leaf.

Besides the courtyard, Ingo Maurer also designed the entrance tunnel and the big light dishes hanging above the restaurant.

Inside the church, “big dishes” are suspended from the ceiling, creating a wide array of colors continuously fading in and out. Again, old and new are sharply contrasted, and the dishes give a futuristic feel without clashing with ancient history. Interestingly, the dishes serve a second purpose: they dampen the otherwise booming acoustics of the church. Hollow sounds tend to make people feel inclined to whisper, but thanks to the big dishes the pressure to keep one’s voice down is eliminated at the Kruisherenhotel.

One of the hotel’s very attractive features is the “espace vinicole”. In the chancel of the church a large collection of wines is beautifully stored in glass housing. Large vaults make up a stunning above-ground wine cellar.

The philosophy of the hotel is, and always has been, to respect the building for what it is. The old walls remain untouched, including authentic wall and ceiling paintings.The ceiling is intact, with the “big dishes” only complementing its intricate design. The Kruisherenhotel is not a purely commercial venture. It also seeks to incorporate culture and history into a multivariable dimension, a point eloquently demonstrated by the light slanting in through the tall stained glass windows as I lazily sip on a cup of coffee, sitting in a comfortable lounge chair.

Feel welcome to take a look inside
“We’re a 4 star hotel with 6 star service,” says director Martijn Aarts, who explains further that the monument status of the building prevents the hotel from acquiring a 5 star label.

The Kruisherenhotel consists of sixty rooms and suites, each individually furnished. An average night including breakfast will cost visitors somewhere between EUR 300 and 400.

The Kruisherenhotel welcomes all sorts of guests, about 50 of whom visit for business, and 50 percent for pleasure. Not all guests have high incomes and extravagant cars. Also people with lower financial means occasionally indulge in a special weekend at the hotel. Then again, at Kruisherenhotel you just may run into former US State Secretary Madeleine Albright, one of the most powerful women in the world. Or Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, who was a guest at the hotel only recently.

Maastricht residents are also welcome to visit. The hotel is trying to encourage the local population to stroll through the entrance-tunnel and take a look inside. The hotel runs a stunning restaurant which is open to the general public for lunch and dinner, with a lunch card starting at EUR 35. Also, on Koopzondag (extra shopping day every first Sunday of the month), the Kruisherenhotel serves as an ideal hangout between 4 pm and 7 pm with a lounge DJ and live trumpeter.

Once, the hotel accommodated a quick change of clothes by our very own Princess Maxima. After a visit to the theatre the Argentinian born wife of the Dutch Crown Prince needed a nice place to change, and naturally the hotel staff was happy to oblige.

I’m told that Gerd Leers, the Mayor of Maastricht, is no stranger to the hotel either. Further probing about famous guests however meets with some resistance. Apparently some of the visitors are treated with a certain degree of discretion, especially those known within the world of politics.

When the Selexyz chain of booshops started to remodel the Dominican church to open a new store in Maastricht, the Kruisherenhotel was happy to help out. They had the knowledge and the experience. And indeed, the result is absolutely magnificent!

I could continue listening to Martijn Aarts for hours, but now he’s off to more important business. Guests have fasts cars, and some off them don’t mind sharing or showing off. So after a refined cup of coffee Martijn exits for a ride in one of this world’s more speedy automobiles.

By Rosanne Rademaker

Born in The Hague, Rosanne Rademaker is currently living and studying in Maastricht for a research master in Neuro Psychology. Rosanne also writes (in Dutch) for youth magazine Code Maastricht.