Mount Saint Peter is one of the most unique natural areas in the Netherlands. A place where millions of years of history are literally under your feet. From primeval sea to marl caves and a wealth of biodiversity with native flowers, plants and shrubs. This area breathes stories, and Natuurmonumenten has many plans for this area. But, few people know that this is a unique piece of nature that you will find absolutely nowhere else in the Netherlands. That story needs to be told.
Visible in and around the city-
Explore Maastricht and Natuurmonumenten work together towards one goal: connecting people with nature and heritage. And that story goes beyond Mount Saint Peter; we make it visible in and around the city as well. While Natuurmonumenten manages and protects the area, Explore Maastricht helps to spread all the stories. We do this by:
Educational tours that take visitors into the history of Mount Saint peter. From chalk sea to charcoal drawings of the Night Watch in the caves and the siege of Maastricht and Fort Sint Pieter.
Intensifying joint communication so that visitors better understand the role and goals of Natuurmonumenten.
Exploring new initiatives to make more impact together. Examples include themed routes, art projects, innovative storytelling and programme forms to reach new (younger) target groups, and connecting other like-minded partners.
" Only when people really experience and witness something, only then will they appreciate it and hopefully do something with it. "
Frans Reijnen, Natuurmonumenten
Shared ambition
Both organisations share an ambition for Mount Saint peter: to tell the common story of past, present and future. From fossil chalk sea to the current climate issue. Everything in this area shows how our dealings with nature determine what will remain tomorrow. Natuurmonumenten and Explore Maastricht will therefore work on new projects in which education, experience and awareness are central. The goal? That people not only know and see how special this area is, but also feel it and do something with it. Frans Reijnen, Natuurmonumenten: "The Mount Saint Peter is a museum piece, but also a living landscape. Thanks to the cooperation with Explore Maastricht, we can continue to tell that story. Because, only when people really experience and witness something, only then are they going to appreciate it and hopefully do something with it."
Stories that touch
The collaboration delivers a lot:
Over 100,000 visitors a year discover the (underground) world of Mount Saint peter.
A structural and intensive collaboration where both organisations focus on the sustainable further development of the area.
The work of Natuurmonumenten is told and made more visible during guided tours and the ambition is to expand this further.
Explore Maastricht thus not only enhances the visibility of the sites, but also helps Natuurmonumenten make its mission tangible for visitors and residents of Maastricht. Nature, culture and history are connected by telling stories that touch and linger.
A place where residents and visitors really experience Maastricht. With the Maastricht Store, we created an environment where culture, crafts and local makers come together.
