Lumière Cinema in het voormalige ketelhuis van de Sphinxfabrieken - fotograaf Fred Berghmans

Culture in the Sphinxkwartier

Culture as an exciting edge of the Sphinxkwartier

With parties such as Lumière Cinema, the Muziekgieterij, Bureau Europa, Landbouwbelang, the Sphinxpassage and Pathé in close vicinity of each other, the Sphinxkwartier is pre-eminently an area where culture in its broadest form thrives. Events like Museum Night, Bruis, Fashion Clash, Het Parcours and the Photo Festival Maastricht make the picture complete. For lovers of pop music, exhibitions, film and all other forms of arts, the Sphinxkwartier has become a not-to-be-missed urban district. It gives Maastricht that other and exciting edge.

Grote zaal van de Muziekgieterij - fotograaf Fred Berghmans

Cultural hotspot

Establishing the Sphinxkwartier as a place with plenty of space for culture fits well within the ambitions of the city council. In 2014 it was decided to invest in the Timmerfabriek and the former power plant - the so-called 'Ketelhuis'- at the Bassin. The plan was to turn these buildings into cultural hotspots with plenty of space for pop concerts and (arthouse) cinema. Nowadays, the Muziekgieterij has been converted into a fully-fledged pop stage with two pop venues (350 and 1,100 guests), a recording studio and rehearsal spaces. At Lumière Cinema, visitor numbers have been growing steadily since its opening in 2016. From day one,  both Muziekgieterij and Lumière were crowd pleasers in the Sphinxkwartier. All in all, it can be said that this 'cultural hotspot' is gaining momentum by the day. This is also evident from the growing number of requests for (cultural) events in the Sphinxkwartier. 
 

De Binnentuin tussen Lumière Cinema en de Muziekgieterij - fotograaf Fred Berghmans

Richie Backfireplein: a square for everyone

The square between Lumière Cinema and the Muziekgieterij has been completely redesigned. On the north side, the Richie Backfireplein is adjacent to Collin van der Sluijs' mural, on the west and south sides to the Muziekgieterij and Lumière Cinema. A flight of stairs takes you straight to the Bassin. The Richie Backfireplein is part of the public space and - like other squares in Maastricht - also intended for events. This suits the namesake of the square perfectly: Richie Backfire was the driving force behind Maastricht hardcore punk. He gave Maastricht - in the hardcore community known as M-town - world fame within the music scene.

 

Events at Richie Backfireplein - 2021

In 2021, several events are already planned at Richie Backfireplein. Lumière Cinema organises 24 intimate open air film screenings spread over 5 weeks, each screening with a maximum capacity of 100 visitors.  The Muziekgieterij is organising a total of 8 Sunday Mingufests with a focus on socialising with snacks, drinks and lounge music. The first Mingufest takes place on Sunday 27 June, the last on Sunday 15 August. And then, of course, there is Bruis festival, the festival with which the Muziekgieterij kicks off the clubseason.  In 2021, it is planned for the weekend from Friday 3 to Sunday 5 September and is only open to paying visitors. For a whole weekend, there will be a stage on the Richie Backfire square.  At the same time, bands will perform in both venues of the Muziekgieterij. Per (festival) day, 3,000 visitors can enjoy Bruis.

Sphinxkwartier in pictures

Check out our photocollection

Thanks to our photographers Fred Berghmans, Jonathan Vos and Aron Nijs we have an impressive photo collection at our disposal. All photos can be viewed on Flickr Belvédère Maastricht.