The Griftpark is a fantastic place where you can have a refreshing break from the city. The park features a small pool, a petting zoo with handwashing stations and a café. In the summer, the locals use designated picnic areas by the water to enjoy Utrecht's sunny days, whereas in the fall or winter, they enjoy the serene atmosphere of the gardens and the lawns near the pond. For the younger crowd, there's a skating rink, a basketball court and a playground.

‘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.

Down from the Old Town by the riverbanks is the evocative Ostrov Slyoz, or “Island of Tears”. This is a memorial to Belarusians who lost their lives in battle, but particularly in remembrance of those that died in the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan in the 1980’s.