News in English - RTV Maastricht

Startpagina
Nederland
Maastricht
News in English - RTV Maastricht

News in English for not-yet-Dutch speakers in Maastricht since 2016.

19/09/2025

The gemeente (municipality) has launched an investigation to explore opportunities, possibilities, challenges, and issues associated with repurposing churches. It's expected that, by 2035, 20 to 25 churches will be taken out of active service.

As these churches often play a central role in their neighbourhoods, the municipality seeks to ensure that their future use is considered carefully.

Municipal Research to Focus on Five Historic Religious Sites
For the research the municipality is commissioning as part of the so-called ‘gebedshuizenvisie,’ five religious sites have been selected: the Waalse kerk. Johannes de Doperkerk in Limmel, the kerk van Sint Pieter Beneden, de Vier Evangelistenkerk in Malberg and the twoer of Antonius van Paduakerk te Limmel.

16/09/2025

Join the conversation on Maastricht’s Cultural Fringe

Maastricht’s cultural scene is bold, energetic, and ever-evolving. That’s why the gemeente (municipality) is hosting an open evening on Wednesday, 17 September to discuss the future of the city's cultural fringe. All voices are invited to engage in a dialogue, share ideas, and seek solutions to preserve these spaces as safe, inclusive places for all cultures.

The event will be held at Centre Céramique, with doors opening at 18:30 and the program runs from 19:00 until 21:30. The evening will be hosted by Frénk van der Linden and feature music by Sjeng, Sjer en de Sjele. A photographer will be taking pictures during the event. Attendees who prefer not to be photographed should inform staff upon arrival.

📸 Thuis in Maastricht

12/09/2025

A security camera has been installed on Laurent Polisstraat after a firework bomb was thrown into a house on 31 August.

The street, located in the Brusselsepoort neighborhood, has been the scene of ongoing unrest. The city council describes the situation as a “long-standing neighborhood dispute.” Authorities have already taken several measures, including confiscating violent dogs, carrying out raids, issuing restraining orders, attempting mediation several times, and even terminating a tenancy agreement.

According to the municipality, tensions on Laurent Polisstraat had eased somewhat since March. However, the recent incident prompted authorities to intensify security measures with the installation of the camera.

The Liberale Partij Maastricht has criticized the burgemeester (mayor) for being “too passive” in addressing the street’s safety issues. Raadslid (councillor) Kitty Nuyts highlighted a series of alarming incidents, including drug dealing, hitting an elderly resident on his mobility scooter with a scooter helmet, threats with a revolver, and shootings. She has called on the mayor to explain how he plans to end the ongoing violence.

31/08/2025

Huurprijzen (rent prices) for private rooms in Maastricht have risen by 2.2 percent over the past year. This puts the Limburg student city among those experiencing rent increases, though at a slower rate than cities such as Tilburg, Nijmegen, and Groningen.

The university magazine Observant Online reports that although rents in Maastricht are rising moderately, the supply of rooms increased substantially, with about a 25% rise in availability during spring compared to 2024.

The trend differs significantly from cities such as Eindhoven and Breda, where rents have fallen. Eindhoven experienced a sharp decline of 7.4 percent. Nationwide, the average huurprijs (rent price) increased only by 0.5 percent.

The most expensive rooms are still found in Amsterdam where the average rent is €945 per month which is five percent higher than last year. Huurprijzen drop significantly in The Hague and Haarlem, averaging around €750, while Utrecht and Rotterdam are slightly lower, at approximately €700.

At the lower end of the market, Enschede stands out with rooms averaging €351 per month and the lowest price per square meter (€23). Wageningen also remains relatively affordable with an average rent of €395.

30/08/2025

The Israeli embassy’s demand for the departure of honorary consul Benoit Wesly sparked immediate reaction on the 19th. Less than two hours later, Maastricht raadslid (councillor) Jos Gorren from SAB (Socially Active Citizens' Party) submitted an open application, according to De Limburger.

Last Tuesday, the 80-year-old Wesly was informed by the Israeli embassy—both by phone and in writing—that he must resign. The reason: his critical statements about the actions of Israel's army in Gaza. In an interview with broadcaster L1, Wesly said that the violence there "verges on genocide if the images are accurate."

Shortly after the news broke in De Limburger, Jos Gorren sent an email to the Maastricht consulate — Wesly’s own office — expressing his “genuine interest” in becoming Israel’s next honorary consul.

Although Gorren declined to elaborate on the matter when approached by RTV Maastricht, he did tell De Limburger: “For a position like this, you have to be quick — before you know it, ten others will have applied.” He also told RTV Maastricht: “It’s unfortunate that the consulate didn’t have the decency to keep my email private, or at least send me a personal message instead of going straight to the press. I don’t want to say more about it. By responding, I’m only fuelling the fire.”

Unlike Benoit Wesly, Jos Gorren is not Jewish and claims to have no special connection to Israel. However, in his application he writes that he has ‘he always had a strong admiration for the people and culture of Israel‘ and that it would be ‘a great honor’ for him to represent the country.

In an interview with De Limburger, Gorren stressed that his actions are not aimed at putting pressure on Wesly. “If mr Wesly wants to remain consul for many more years, that is fine with me. I mainly wanted to make it clear that the consulate must be preserved for Maastricht”.

29/08/2025

A new project has been launched to support students in finding part-time and improve their Dutch language skills. The initiative is a collaboration between Centrummanagement Maastricht, de gemeente (municipality), Mymaastricht.nl and the Maastricht University Language Centre.

mymaastricht.nl is a website that offers information for students about studying and living in the city. It now includes a dedicated job openings page, where students from Maastricht University and Zuyd University of Applied Sciences can easily find vacancies in shops and restaurants across the city centre.

A standout feature is that international students who find work through this initiative receive free Dutch lessons for fourteen weeks. The lessons take place two hours per week during working hours, during which employees continue to receive their regular pay form their employer. The goal is to help students improve their language skills and integrate more easily into both the workplace and the city.

Through this project, the organisers aim to tackle staff shortages by providing entrepreneurs with extra staff and support in posting vacancies, while simultaneously supporting the integration of international students.

28/08/2025

As of December, Maastricht Aachen Airport will offer three flights a week to Tuzla in Bosnia.These flights will be operated by the Hungarian airline Wizz Air.

Earlier this month, the airport announced a partnership with Wizz Air, which currently operates flights to 3 destinations from Beek: Moldavia, Romania, and Poland.

The Tuzla route will be operated using an Airbus 321NEO with a seating capacity of 239 passengers. “Wizz Air sees great potential in connections between Maastricht Aachten Airport and various Eastern Europian destinations” said the airports spokesperson Dean Boljuncic. Anastasia Novak from Wizz Air added: “With this new route we are strengthening our presence in the region and responding to the growing demand from Dutch travellers eager to explore new destinations.”

22/08/2025

The city of Maastricht has been drawn and painted many times and in various ways over the past centuries by both professional and amateur artists. Under the title 'Was getekend Maastricht', we are broadcasting a series of 15 episodes about these drawings and paintings. In this episode: Victor de Stuers.

17/08/2025

Ten apartments are being build in the former gym on the Sphinxlunet in Céramique.

The space in the Cortile complex, which previously also housed a swimmingpool and another sports club, had been vacant for two and a half years.

The new homes are going to be part of the high-end segment. In size they will range from 110 to 140 m2 and all include a garden.

Some of the homes will be put on the market for sale, others will be rented out. According to the developer, the apartments are expected to be completed early next year.

16/08/2025

Many reports about Asian hornet

The gemeente (municipality) is currently receiving an unusually high number of reports about the presence of Asian hornet. This large species of wasp builds its nests in quiet places, such as in walls, sheds, or high up in trees.

The Asian hornet does not usually attack people, but it can respond aggressively if its nest is approached. “A sting is not more dangerous than that of a common wasp, but it can be painful” the gemeente states.

Residents who spot a nest, or notice several Asian hornets in one day in for example their garden, are asked to report this to the gemeente (municipality). Sending a photo helps with identification.

Due to the large number of reports, it may take several days before a repons is given. The gemeente (municipality) therefore asks residents to be patient and not to submit the same report multiple times.

15/08/2025

14/08/2025

The camera surveillance in and around the basketball court in Malberg is being reduced

This is evident from a publication in the Municipal Gazette of Maastricht on the website Overheid.nl. On July 2, the decision was made to install two cameras on Schildruwe in response to various disturbances that had taken place there.

Several reasons were given for installing the two cameras, such as the presence of different (rivaling) groups of youths causing the disturbances. These disturbances involved acts of violence, vandalism, rowdy behavior, the throwing of fireworks, noise nuisance, and littering. Public disturbances and violent incidents have escalated since October 1, 2024, notably on June 30, 2025 when two serious violent incidents occurred on Schildruwe and nearby streets, leaving a local resident severely injured. According to the municipal report, residents became too afraid to report further incidents. There were also indications that local residents had begun to take matters into their own hands by arming themselves in response to ongoing threats to public order and livability in the neighbourhood. It was noted that, despite existing measures such as police deployment, enforcement officers, and youth workers, the problems in the neighborhood had not decreased but had actually worsened. Furthermore, the mentioned locations did not fall under the municipality’s regular camera surveillance, and additional camera surveillance on top of the existing measures was thought to allow for early intervention by police, enforcement officers, and security personnel.

The previously stated reasons are reiterated in the new publication from this past Wednesday, now with the added note: “as of August 6, 2025, surveillance by means of one camera is sufficient.”

The decision dated August 6 is signed by burgemeester (mayor) Wim Hillenaar. A spokesperson for the gemeente (municipality) stated that the second camera will be removed this week, as it was found to have the same range as the other camera and therefore captured largely the same footage.

Adres

Bankastraat 3
Maastricht
6214XN

Website

https://english.rtvmaastricht.nl/

Meldingen

Wees de eerste die het weet en laat ons u een e-mail sturen wanneer News in English - RTV Maastricht nieuws en promoties plaatst. Uw e-mailadres wordt niet voor andere doeleinden gebruikt en u kunt zich op elk gewenst moment afmelden.

Contact

Stuur een bericht naar News in English - RTV Maastricht:

Snelkoppelingen

Wilt u dat uw bedrijf hét hoogst genoteerde Mediabedrijf in Maastricht wordt?

Type

Media-/nieuwsbedrijf

Social Media User Guidelines

These guidelines are in place to help create a safe environment on all social media channels run by News in English – RTV Maastricht.

The aim of our social media channels is to create an environment where our community can engage safely in debate and is free to make comments, questions and suggestions.

We ask that anyone engaging with our social media channels shows courtesy, kindness and respect for all other members of our social media communities.

By engaging with our social media channels you agree to follow these guidelines.