Generaalshuis

For centuries, Vrijthof has been the most prominent spot in Maastricht. In Roman times, the Via Belgica, the famous route from Keulen to Boulogne-sur-Mer, ran through here. Various buildings have stood on the site of the Generaalshuis over the centuries. Around 1230, the location came into the hands of the White Women and a convent was built there. The order provided refuge for ‘fallen women.’

In 1795, the convent was dissolved by French revolutionaries. The convents and monasteries in the city became state property and were sold. After this, they were usually demolished or underwent alterations, as did the White Women Convent with the chapel on Vrijthof. The statue of Christ from the chapel was moved to Sint Martinuskerk (St Martin's Church). We now know it as the Black Christ of Wyck. The painting behind the main altar was relocated to the Basilica of Saint Servatius. The Convent of the White Women and the chapel were then demolished, to make way for new buildings.

Trader Petrus de Ceuleneer bought the Convent of the White Women along with the chapel in 1803. He had them demolished and built a 'stadspaleis’ (city palace) in their place. It was laid out as a double house, one part of which was let. For a while, it was occupied by the son of the governor of Limburg, Charles de Brouckère jr. In 1825, General Bernardus Dibbets, Commander-in-Chief of the stronghold of Maastricht, purchased the building. It is to him that the property owes its name: the Generaalshuis (general's house). The house was occupied by a succession of commanders, over many years.

In 1914 the building was sold to the municipality, which used it as a base for various departments: the office of the municipal treasurer, police station, archive and library, and the city museum. In 1977, the archive and library were rehoused on Grote Looiersstraat and, one year later, the police relocated to Kompen. After this, the Generaalshuis served for a few years as the home of the music school.

Restoration work on the Generaalshuis began in 1986. The last vestiges of the convent behind the building were demolished, making space for the Theater aan het Vrijthof, which opened in 1992. The Generaalshuis now serves as the entrance, foyer, and office of the theatre.

When Petrus de Ceuleneer had the house built, he enlisted the services of François Hermans. Hermans designed a neoclassical building ‘nine windows wide’ and with two doorways. Above the middle three windows is a pediment, with scenes from agriculture and trade. The roof has a number of dormer windows.

The ceiling of the hall is decorated with a stucco medallion, depicting the Napoleonic eagle. The various chimney breasts in the Empire style are adorned with stuccowork in the form of trophies, coats of arms, and floral motifs. In 1860, Liège painter Charles Soubre painted eight murals in the salon on the first floor. In these, he incorporated the four seasons, the four elements, and symbolic representations of architecture, sculpture, painting, poetry, and music.