Jan Stax

Jan Stax is a hobby photographer from Boxmeer. On his Instagram @janstax he posts the most beautiful photos of, among others, the Maasheggen.

"If you want to know a lot about nature, you really shouldn't be with me!" warned Jan when we called him. "I don't know much about that, I just take pictures," he said modestly. Too modest, if you ask us. On Jan Stax's Instagram account, the most beautiful photos sparkle. Portraits of loved ones, passers-by, vacation photos, but also the Maasheggen. Jan, living in the center of Boxmeer, regularly visits the Maasheggen area with his camera.

What does the area mean to you?
"At first it honestly didn't mean much to me. Nature always reminds me of the time when I was a professional soldier on exercises in the field a few times a year. Not a place to unwind. Recently that has changed. I've started taking photographs and have started looking at my surroundings in a different way. I prefer to visit Maasheggen at sunrise or sunset, when the light is at its most beautiful. The perfect time to go out." Boxmeer is home for Jan. His family is from there. When he was 18 he left Boxmeer and lived in various places in the Netherlands, including Vlieland and even one year in Suriname. But Boxmeer kept beckoning. Even on Vlieland the family practiced the polonaise and every year they came to Boxmeer especially for carnival. In 1992 the family moved back.

What is your favorite spot in the Maasheggen?
"I love the stretch between Beugen and Oeffelt. That is now full of poppies. I've come to appreciate the area more recently. I am now training for the Four Days Marches with a friend from Grave. Then I point at the braided hedges and say "you don't have those, do you?".

What could be better in the area?
"Pooh, I find that hard to say. There used to be more cafes in the area on the Boxmeer side. That's not there anymore. It would be nice if that came back, though".