A former military base, the Tapijnkazerne was built between 1916 and 1919 in the area known as ‘de Kommen’, a name reminiscent of the ‘inundation basins’, which since the seventeenth century served as a wet defense line along the south side of Maastricht. In 1934 the military base was named after Sebastiaan Tapijn, who in 1579 heroically yet unsuccessfully sought to defend Maastricht against the Spanish besiegers and who also died in that effort. Initially, the army base comprised the following: three barracks, a gym and fencing building, a swimming pool, a kitchen facility, a drill building, a dining hall, an army depot, two sanitary buildings, a stable, a garage, a guard building, an engineering corps building and two double homes. About a year after the base’s completion, a sickbay was added. In 1953 and 1955 two more buildings were erected on both sides of the medical facility: a dining hall and a building housing instruction rooms, sleeping quarters and an officers’ mess. The latter building, designed by architect P. de Ruiter, is praised for its architectonic qualities to this day. From 1967, various NATO departments used this army base, including AFCENT (1967-2000), AFNORTH (2000-2004) and JFC Brunssum (2004-2010). To serve these organizations, various buildings were added in the course of the 1980s, including the bunker building. As of 1 October 2013, the Tapijnkazerne has been co-owned by Maastricht University, the Province of Limburg and the City of Maastricht. While the university and the province together own the buildings (including the land on which they sit and a 2 meter-stretch beyond their façade), the city owns the property’s vacant land. The land covered by the adjacent animal park changed ownership as well as of October 2013, when in a transaction with the state the city became its new owner. Concept Vision Transformation Tapijnkazerne 2014-2023 The grounds of the former Tapijnkazerne are to be made accessible to the public and added to the city park. The adjacent animal park will be preserved and integrated as part of the development and upgrading of the overall area. An underground passageway for pedestrians and bicyclists will be put in close to where Prins Bisschopssingel meets the Jeker River. The army base’s less valuable buildings will be demolished, to be replaced by new buildings which should not exceed the same gross floor area. The former army base’s monumental buildings will eventually be used for teaching, research and interrelated functions, such as office spaces and student housing. Gradually the buildings will be remodeled and made available for long-term usage, but this process will involve a phased development, leaving options for temporary use as well.