Platform voor Architectuur & Design

Rock, Rhythm & Rough Edges of Maastricht

An ode to the musical places in the city

13 August till 28 September 2025

This exhibition is a tribute to the places where Maastricht pulses with music, where youth culture, creativity, identity, language, and sound come together. From the Kombi to Berchmans, from the Bochel to Landbouwbelang, and from squats to De Muziekgieterij: these are the breeding grounds where generations of young people gave the city its musical identity - sometimes raw, often boundary-pushing, always full of energy and love for music.

Maastricht makes noise. Sometimes loud, sometimes underground, sometimes unheard. From rehearsal basements in the neighborhoods to iconic nights at Muziekgieterij, from city edges to urban palaces: music in Maastricht emerges from the fringes. This is where youth culture takes root, where creativity explodes, where identity, language, and sound are explored and redefined.

Rock, Rhythm & Rough Edges of Maastricht is a dynamic exhibition about the city’s legendary musical places, movements, and makers — and a call to continue cherishing space in the city for experimental, young, and unconventional culture.

The exhibition bridges past and present: from iconic concerts at the old Stadssporthal, music from squats, and punk on the Bonnefantenkade to today’s urban and electronic scenes in the Bassin, Céramique, or Malpertuis. Music is presented both as cultural heritage and as a driving force for contemporary urban renewal.

Image: Moniek Wegdam

Dates Wednesday 13 August – Sunday 28 September 2025
Location Bureau Europa, platform for architecture and design
Admission Regular rates apply

Colofon

Editors Wim Smeets, Floor van Spaendonck | Texts Floor van Spaendonck |  Exposition design Max Slangen | Graphic design Dennis van Eikenhorst, Max Slangen | External editors and sources John Kampstra, Niena Bocken, Mike Moonen & Jeen Ventje, Norbert Grunschel, Maurice Gijsbers, Maarten van den Berg, Joris Hilterman, Andrea Peeters – Tracé, Harry Heuts, Gerjan Schijlen | Construction Max Slangen, Feike van Schie, Hamid Yalroudi, Tijmen Budding, Agnes Paulissen | Thanks to Tracé - Limburgs Samenlevingsarchief, Muziekgieterij, Centre Ceramique, L1, Provincie Limburg, Gemeente Maastricht

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