The Star, originating from the De Sterre brewery at 50 Rechtstraat, was in the depository at the little square near the Helpoort in 1912. It was moved several times together with the Historical Museum and relocated from the Bonnefanten monastery to the Market square in 1954.
The broken out stone in the depot near the Helpoort (=Hell's gate). There appears to be no caption but on closer inspection you can see the last 7 shining through under the crumbling layer of paint.
From the history of Brewery de Sterre.
On 30 September 1872 the widow of Willem Mathijs Haenen, of independent means, living in Sint Pieter and the merchant Melotte, living in Wyck appeared before the Maastricht notary Petrus Jacobus Hubertus Jessé. The widow and the merchant had concluded the purchase of a house with brewery, warehouse and gate in Rechtstraat in Wyck, called 'the Star'. This building had an exit via a small corridor, which nowadays still leads to Cörversplein. This corridor is situated to the left of the Servaas Pub. The sale was concluded at a purchase price of 7,000 guilders.
Merchant Alexander Melotte would go on to call himself a brewer after this purchase, and two years later (1874) he became, via his daughter (1843-1900), the father-in-law of brewer August Bosch, a descendant of the famous brewing family of brewery De Keyzer - now museum brewery Bosch -, who lived in the Rechtstraat. Son-in-law Willem August Bosch died as early as 1883, after which Alexander Melotte became the father-in-law of another brewer in 1886, when his daughter Maria Catharina remarried another descendant from the Bosch family: Paul August Ernest Bosch, seventeen years younger. This new bridegroom was the son of Maria Catharina Melotte's brother-in-law, so she was also her husband's aunt by marriage. That is how complicated life can be.
The brewery complex between Rechtstraat and Cörversplein was demolished a long time ago. It was situated where you can now find Art Lenders Maastricht (Rechtstraat 50) and probably also Ekoplaza Maastricht (Rechtstraat 48).
During the demolition the gable stone from 1777 - naturally a star - was saved. This gable stone was later reinstalled in the Markt 66 facade.
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