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De Limburger, December 30, 2022, by Joos Philippens. January 4th 2023: Translation by Ineke/John. Living at the Vrijthof in Maastricht during your old age, which includes a butler; can cost as much as 4000 Euros per month. You need care and would like to live in your old age at the Vrijthof in Maastricht. That is possible starting in 2024, but will cost you 4000 Euros per month. It will include butler service and a Viennese-style lunchroom. Living next to the Theater on the Vrijthof, that is what the Bâtisse care center will offer starting in the spring of 2024. Two seventeenth-century buildings will be converted into 22 apartments, intended for the elderly people who need care and who have money. “You pay 3500 euros per month for living, but then all-in,” says Ruud Jacobs of Focus International Real Estate. “So all meals and drinks, plus butler service.” The target group includes people with dementia; in a number of apartments. their partners can also live The 24-hour care provided by Zorg & Co is financed through the Long-Term Care Act. “Residents spend a maximum of 800 to 900 euros on their own care contribution,” says Jacobs. The per month stay costs 4000 to 4500 euros per month. “Most of them have already transferred their assets to their children, who wish their parents a beautiful old age here.” In addition to the butler service and a terrace at the Vrijthof, there will be an atrium, courtyard, library and lounge. The apartments are not large (40 to 45 square meters, 430.5 to 484 square feet), but it is also about the location. However, Bâtisse should not become an enclave in the inner city. There will be a grand café built on the ground floor, with a large terrace, which also opens to the public. The owners will be Roy and Daniëla Bastiaens, who previously operated the catering industry for seven years at the Treech Marina. "It is absolutely not be lounge-like, we distinguish ourselves by a somewhat more classic design," says Daniëla. “Think of the Viennese atmosphere, with warm colors, brass and gold, homely but not old-fashioned.” At grand café Bâtisse she promises an atmosphere like that of former lunchrooms such as Dûchateau, Coenegracht and the old Britannique. The grand café is not large inside (40 to 50 seats), because it consists of two former living rooms with a fireplace in the middle. “We hope that many residents will come downstairs to eat, but we can also bring the food to their apartment,” says Daniëla Bastiaens. Focus, which previously developed the Looiershof neighborhood in Maastricht, has paid several millions for the two national monuments. The preparations took about two years. “The day before Christmas I received a message that the municipality has granted the permit, which was a nice gift,” says Ruud Jacobs. The plans will be available for inspection during the next six weeks, but Jacobs does not expect any objections. “During a meeting with local residents, everyone was enthusiastic. We do not compete with anyone and do not cause any inconvenience.” The renovation should start this spring, a year later the opening is planned. In the short term, however, coordination with André Rieu still requires attention. He used the current offices in the Bâtisse buildings as a base for his Vrijthof concerts. “In any case, we want Bâtisse to look perfect in July. Either the facade has already been refurbished or we make a very nice canvas for the scaffolding,” Jacobs promises .

Photo credits: The Limburger, Bâtisse and MIBA construction management.