NATO War Command

Maastricht


One of the least-known uses of the St Pietersberg quarry tunnels was as a once-top-secret NATO HQ to be used in times of nuclear conflict. The hospital-like tiled interior, abandoned in 1992, remains relatively intact but as yet the site can only be visited on rare guided tours, one weekend a month. Book online.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Maastricht attractions

1. Fort St Pieter

1.29 MILES

Set within a deep-cut dry moat, this hefty five-sided brick fort once formed the city's southern defence and is linked to a network of underground tunnels…

2. Maastricht Underground

1.29 MILES

Maastricht Underground runs spooky, amusing and fascinating tours into sections of the vast tunnel network beneath St-Pietersberg massif. Departures run…

3. Zonneberg Caves

1.34 MILES

This gigantic network of quarry-tunnels date back centuries but are most intriguing for their occasional charcoal murals and the stories linked to their…

4. D'Artagnan Statue

1.76 MILES

Of countless battles and sieges that have afflicted Maastricht, the best known was in 1673 when Louis XIV's French army took the city guided by master…

5. St Janskerk

2.08 MILES

This attractive 17th-century Gothic church has a soaring if relatively unadorned interior and a 43m limestone tower whose deep red hue was originally…

6. Helpoort

2.08 MILES

This rough-cut-stone tower-gateway dating from 1229 dominates the most impressive of several fragmentary sections of medieval city wall. You can look…

7. Museum Aan Het Vrijthof

2.1 MILES

Exhibitions in this small museum change every few months but even if the current subject doesn't interest you it's worth popping your head inside.

8. St Servaasbasiliek

2.11 MILES

Built above and around the shrine of St Servaas (Servatius), the first bishop of Maastricht, the basilica presents an architectural pastiche whose…