In the little cock

Until the year 1957 a large wooden shield graced the old facade as a trademark with "Het Haantje" painted on it. However, the shield had been subject to weather and wind for many years and was replaced by the current gable stone, created by the well-known sculptor Appie Drielsma. Appie was an internationally renowned sculptor with magic hands. He also created the very large bronze entrance gate to the St. Servaas Basilica on the Vrijthof. Cafe Het Haantje was located on the Koemarkt in earlier times, inside and opposite the then still present large stone City Gate and Cloth Weavers' Hall. The City Wall was built from the Grote Gracht across the present Market to the small Canal to the Maas at the then Veerlinxpoort. When the City Wall was demolished and the Market was thus widened, the City Hall was built in the middle. From that time onwards the law required houses  to be built of stone because of the widespread major fire throughout the inner city. Several records of Cafe Het Haantje have been found in the old archives of the Kremers Guild. In it the registration of the date 16 February 1712 is found of a Brewer/Tapper called Paulus Meijs at Markt 72 in Maastricht. The Guild registration with the Mestreech Kremersambt was mandatory for all brewers before they were allowed to sell their beer to the porters and foreigners. In the cash book of the Brouwersambacht from 1736-1737 we read that the Brewery-tappery was then taken over by Pieter Meijs, one of Paulus's sons. Over the years about 20 more brewers or tappers, innkeepers and barkeepers passed by. The first innkeepers or brewers, pawn owners, had their own home brewery, some of the largest being the Gilissen Brewery, the Gilissen Lion (Löwe) Brewery, the Rutten Brewery, the Rutten Black Rider Brewery and the Rutten St Servatius Brewery", the latter taken over by a large brewery. From the time the large breweries became owners of Het Haantje, beer was no longer brewed by themselves. The property is now back in private hands. The Cafe now has Jupiler beer on draft that is rich in flavour, sits nicely on the tongue and is swallowed wonderfully smoothly. The cafe always hosts a merry revue. There is singing, dancing and wonderful storytelling, a real Mestreechs cafe (see further Wikipedia).

Sculptor Appie Drielsma used a Rooster as a model for the gable stone in 1956, namely one that is also used in the national flags of our esteemed neighbours the Belgian Walloons and the French. Sculptor Appie Drielsma studied at the Jan van Eijck Academy in Maastricht in the years 1950-60. He later became a distinguished teacher at the Academies of Arts in Maastricht and Tilburg. He was a sculptor to perfection, a sculptor of whom Maastricht is "GRUUTS" (=proud). In Maastricht some sculptures made by him can be found as a commemoration of important events, but also in many other places. He was also a good precious-metal smith. He manufactured a whole range of very beautiful gold, silver, copper and aluminum jewelry.

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He was also a painter and he made beautiful sculptures in bronze, such as the aforementioned large bronze entrance gate to the St. Servaas Basilica on the Vrijthof. If you are going to look at this magnificent gate and study it, just go to the Basilica first if you want to arrive in time to attend Holy Mass as well.