Churches and places of worship

Maastricht is a city full of churches and places of worship. Mainly Roman Catholic churches, but not exclusively. Nowadays, many of these churches and places of worship attract fewer visitors than before and end up empty. Through a survey, the Maastricht municipality wanted to understand the importance of these buildings for the city and help the owners make future plans.

Between 12 and 30 July, we distributed a questionnaire on the churches’ vision via the Maastricht Forum and the municipality’s social media channels. A total of 2,993 residents participated in the survey. These were mainly Catholics or non-believers (78%).

Here are the main results:

• 36% of respondents never go to churches or houses of worship in Maastricht, 30% go or 1-2 times a year.
• For both the centre and their own neighbourhood, respondents think it is important that churches and houses of worship remain as buildings (89% for the buildings in the centre and 70% in their own neighbourhood).
• 43% think it is important that churches and houses of worship in the centre retain their current function; 37% think it is important in their own neighbourhood .
• The majority (82%) think empty churches and places of worship should be given a new purpose. The three most frequently chosen reallocations are a meeting place (78%), a cultural centre (76%) and a medical centre (60%).
• The majority (83%) think it is important that local residents are allowed to participate in the rezoning of churches and places of worship. 21% are willing to make a social contribution and 16% are willing to make a small financial contribution.

Are you curious about the full report? Then take a quick look at our website Gepubliceerde onderzoeksresultaten | Maastricht in Cijfers. Maastricht in Figures.

Besides this report, you will find numerous other research reports and statistics about the city of Maastricht.