Chateau St Gerlach - Maastricht
After a thorough renovation the former monastery opened its doors in March of 1997 as a 5 star hotel with 58 rooms, 39 hotel-apartments, restaurant, congress and meeting facilities, bar, indoor swimmingpool and a spa.
Chateau St. Gerlach in Houthem dates back to the year 1155. Knight Gerlachus settled here after his pilgrimage to the Holy Land as a hermit and lived in a hollow oaktree. Historic tales tell the story of a miracle that changed the water of a nearby well into wine. On January 5 1164 Gerlachus died after St. Servaas gave him the last sacraments. That location developed into a pilgrim-settlement and Gerlachus was declared Saint. In 1201 a monastery was founded in the honour of Saint Gerlachus and between 1218 and 1230 the monastery changed into a home for noble ladies. Five centuries of wealth and poverty followed one after another. After five centuries, in 1786 the Sisters in the Order of Norbertinessen left St. Gerlach,a noble family took over residence of St. Gerlach and lived there until 1979. The family legated the property to the St. Gerlachus Church in the village of Houthem. All bedrooms at Chauteau St.Gerlach are equipped with private bath, shower, direct-dial telephone system, radio, colour tv, hairdryer. The hotel has a shuttle service to nearby Maastricht (7 minutes). The hotel is operated by Mr. Camille Oostwegel who owns and runs several top-quality castle-hotels with excellent restaurants in the province of Limburg.
)
)
)
