Bisschopsmolen, The Helpoort, Old City Walls

 For lunch today we went for soup at the nearby Bisschopsmolen (Bishop’s Mill) Bakery. The bakery restaurant is in the same building as the old mill- the oldest working watermill in the Netherlands. The first mention of this mill on the Jeker was in the 11th century! It gets its name from the Bishop of Liege, its owner in 1099.

All the bakery’s breads and pastries are made with Kollenberger Spelt flour, ground at the mill. This is an ancient species of wheat that Julius Caesar introduced into the Netherlands. I had passed the bakery’s tempting window many times and stopped in yesterday to buy something for dessert. My choice was Limburgse Abrikozenvlaan (Limburg Apricot pie), and it was delicious! Today’s yellow squash soup was delicious, too, served with spelt bread. On the way out we took a look at the working gears of the  ancient mill, which are powered by the big old waterwheel on the other side of the wall. 

Bisschopsmolen in the Jekerkwartier

After lunch we took a walk and explored the Maastricht Helpoort, the oldest city gate in the Netherlands (13th century). The gate’s towers are stone, with a small red wooden structure that overhangs the gate’s entrance. This was used to pour boiling oil and other goodies down on the enemy. Inside one of the gate towers we climbed steep stone spiral steps to a small exhibition room that had diagrams and models of the city’s original Roman and Medieval fortifications. A portion of the ancient wall (built in the 1200s) still remains in a narrow street off of Sint Pieterstraat. We've passed that old wall often on our walks, and now know a little more about its history.

Behind the Helpoort was a set of steps that took us up to the top of the city wall. We strolled on the wall for a few hundred feet and took in some great views of the river and the city. 

The Maastricht Helpoort, and strolling on top of the Old City Wall