Pater Vinktoren (Father Vinck) Tower, Maastricht

The Pater Vincktoren (Father Vinck) Tower, formerly known also as the tower behind the Feilzusters or the tower at the Swesteren, is a 14th-century rampart in Maastricht. The tower was part of the medieval Second City Walls and is the point of connection with the First City Walls. Designed to defend the swampy area of the Jeker gateway, its construction was finished between 1370 and 1380.

Following the 1867 decision by King Willem III to abolish the fortress of Maastricht, the tower behind the Faliezustersklooster was almost completely destroyed, but then luckily was fully restored in 1906 by architect W. Sprenger. Thenceforth it has been referred to as Pater Vincktoren after Father Servatius Vinck, a Franciscan priest who was executed in 1638 for the alleged betrayal of Maastricht.

There is no historical connection, however, between Pater Vinck himself and the tower, except that his monastery was nearby and his head (along with those of four other beheaded suspects) was displayed on a stake at a neighboring bastion, thence known as The Five Heads. The naming can be seen as an attempt to rehabilitate the 'Catholic traitors', who, in the spirit of the times of growing Catholic self-awareness and anti-Dutch sentiment, wished to be seen as martyrs.

The tower has two floors. The first one gives way to the parapet and the second can be accessed from the staircase built on the city side. In the frame between the first and second floors is a gargoyle in the shape of a cat's head.

Today, the Pater Vincktoren, with its preserved piece on the one side and the water gate on the other, forms a much-photographed ensemble in Maastricht City Park.