Bureau Europa presents two winter activities. Bits and pieces of the history of the Sphinx industries are dynamically brought to life. The Showroom of the Sphinx factories is going to be revived with a three-day ceramics and glass sale. The famous lithograph album of Petrus Regout will be on display in its entirety for the first time.
Today we call it Bureau Europa, but it used to be called the Director’s Villa (1905-1911) of the Sphinx industries: a beautiful building with a rich history. Remainders of that history are still to be found, in the design which mimics a Roman villa; in the underground tunnels that lead to the factories and the harbour; in the frescos that adorn the library and the classical ornaments one can still find in the showroom. We delve further into the earliest past of the Director’s Villa.
More information about The Showroom and The Album can be found here.
The building of Bureau Europa opened in 1911. It was the foremost showroom of the Sphinx industries, the most famous industry in Maastricht, located in Boschstraat. The old showroom was filled to the brim with glass, crystal, and porcelain, ready for sale and looked after by the statue of the factories’ founder, Petrus Regout.
To celebrate the ceramic history of Maastricht, the showroom is going to be refurbished in its old glory. An old photograph of the building in the early 20th century will be recreated with a three-day interpretation of the old showroom. Like then, ceramics and glass from all over Maastricht will be for sale now too. The Maastricht ceramics are presented and sold in collaboration with ceramics’ collectors and traders. Also, there will be a public programming with taxations and charity dinners.
Dates Friday 17 – Sunday 19 December, 12.00 – 17.00
Entrance €3,00 for all visitors
Admission only possible after booking a ticket in advance
Petrus Regout is the Netherlands’ first great industrialist who managed to jack up the wavering Maastricht economy with his 19th-century industries. Maastricht ceramics were sold all over the world and Regout became fabulously wealthy. His factories in Boschstraat and the manor houses and estates in the Maastricht countryside make many a heart skip a beat. The lithograph album commissioned in Paris by the industrialist shows this wealth in all its details. Bureau Europa presents this album fully for the first time.
The Album dédié à mes enfants et mes amis [Album dedicated to my children and my friends] (1868) is a remarkable biographical document that present an overview of the many holdings of the Regout family, from their fancy villas with grand fountains and gardens, to their factory complexes and worker barracks. The pictures present an intriguing glimpse into the early days of industrialization in Maastricht and the topographical development of an industrial empire. A treasure trove of information! Also, you’ll make the acquaintance of Mr Regout, who managed to redesign parts of the city completely after his own fashion. The sky was the limit!
Dates Wednesday 22 December 2021 – Sunday 6 February 2022, regular opening times
Entrance adults €5,00; students €3,00; museumcards free
With regular guided tours (in Dutch) by private collector and guest curator Tom Cremers