The "City Farmhouse" Olofstorp is a popular oasis for the whole family. There are cows, horses, a donkey, pigs, sheep, rabbits, cats, goats and chickens. It includes a health garden, an herb garden and a spice garden. In the area around Stadsbondgården, there are well-planned paths along Assarpsbäcken, opportunities for barbecues, and other activities.

‘This is where the cultural, creative, and enterprising urban district Sphinx will arise.’ So reads the ambition behind the plans for the development of the Sphinx area. Plans focus on the place where Maastricht’s industrial revolution began. It was here that Petrus Regout built his ‘Sphinx Factory,’ the start of what grew into an enormous industry, producing bathroom fixtures, tiles, and the products that made Maastricht great. The factory operated until 2006, and since then efforts have been under way to redevelop this area as a district that fits in with the city, but as something Maastricht does not already have. That’s why this district is being designed to attract creative types, young residents, national and international students, and expatriates. It will be internationally oriented, with room for flexible space and temporary functions. Where this area is going is becoming clearer and clearer, in things like the arrival of the pop music stage in a former sawmill, and the newly opened Brandweer(kantine), with workspaces and meeting places for creative entrepreneurs. But not everything in this part of the city is new and different. The historic and picturesque river harbour ‘t Bassin, adjacent to the Sphinx area, makes a perfect buffer for the transition from the more familiar and better known Maastricht to this new part of town.

Palazzo Madama is one of the historic buildings of Piazza Castello, together with the Royal Palace. The layers of history that from this palace are extraordinary. At the beginning of the first century BC, the site of the palace was occupied by a gate in the Roman city walls. The two restored towers still testify to this original nucleus. The back of the palace looks like a medieval stronghold, while the ornate facade was added by the Savoy family to better match the overall look of the square. Today it houses the Museum of Ancient Arts, with its impressive collection of paintings.

Cesare Lombroso was an Italian criminologist, physician and phrenologist, who posed that crime is a characteristic trait of human nature. His role as the creator of criminal atavism remains controversial. You are invited to learn about the errors in his scientific method. In 2009, to mark the centenary of his death, the museum was revamped to better showcase the macabre collections: anatomical specimens and drawings, photographs, as well as valuable craft and artistic works created by asylum and prison inmates.