Discover Castle Vaeshartelt II - Contributing to Circular Sustainability on a Historic Estate

CODE: SIW NPG 2026-05

Work:

This project focuses on sustainability, community, and living heritage. As a volunteer, you will be part of a team that helps protect and maintain the Vaeshartelt lands. By growing vegetables on site, Vaeshartelt reduces transport, lowers CO₂ emissions, and keeps the food chain short and transparent. You will support work in a shared vegetable garden where food is grown for the estate’s own kitchen.

Accomodation and food

The accomodation is a stone scouting building, located in the city of Maastricht. It has separate dorms (m/f). We provide airbeds but volunteers need to bring a sleeping bag. A kitchen is available with all facilities. Volunteers will cook and clean together. Sometimes the farmers will cook for you. There is a big indoor and outdoor space for games, dinner, BBQ.

Location and leisure

Vaeshartelt is a beautiful historic estate located in Maastricht. Maastricht is a cosy town in the south of the Netherlands where you can do many activities.
Volunteers will plan your free time together as a group. Some activities are already planned and are connected to the history and culture of the area.
All activities are optional, and the group will decide together what to do.

Possible free time activities include:
A citytrip to Aachen (Germany)
Visit the caves in the area
Swimming in the Maasplassen
Visit a local festival

Project hosted by

The partner organization is the Vaeshartelt foundation. Their mission is to restore and protect their historic estate for future generations, in a circular and sustainable way. The castle on the estate has been transfomed into a hotel and restaurant. All these profits go back into the restoration of the land. Vaeshartelt has 13 hectares of land around the estate. 13 farmers are each voluntarily cultivating a small piece of land and contributing their specific knowledge. The foundation wants to use this land even better by growing fresh vegetables for its own kitchen in a large shared garden. Growing food on site means less transport, lower CO₂ emissions, and a fully transparent food process.

Directions to meeting point

This information will be shared with the infosheet you'll receive

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