Bastion Lindenkruis te Maastricht 1830 - 1899

Alexander Schaepkens made this etching of Bastion Lindenkruis in Maastricht sometime in the 19th century. As a genre, topographical prints like this one were popular souvenirs for tourists, but they also speak to broader questions of civic identity. Maastricht has a long and complex history due to its strategic location. Military structures like the bastion were vital to the city’s defense, but they also played a key role in shaping the urban environment and regulating the lives of its inhabitants. For example, the laws and regulations governing who could enter or leave the city through its gates, and when, helped shape the social and economic life of Maastricht. Looking at images such as this one helps us to reconstruct how people understood their relationship to the city, and how they defined themselves in relation to its institutions. This print offers an intriguing glimpse into Maastricht's past, and it reminds us that the way we experience a place is always shaped by its history.