Top 20 Caves around Gulpen-Wittem

we tried to return to Maastricht using the Arriva bus. However, it was a small bus and only 3 seats were available. My friends walked.

Here you have a view of old marl quarries. You can see a marl wall with meadows, cows, or sheep.

The Strooberggroeve is a Limburg marl quarry in the Dutch municipality of Eijsden-Margraten. The underground quarry is located north of Bemelen under the Bemelerberg on the north side of the mouth of the dry valley Koelbosgrub in the Meuse valley. The quarry is located on the western edge of the Plateau of Margraten in the transition to the Meuse valley. At this point, the plateau drops steeply for a few meters. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strooberggroeve

The Trichterberg quarry is located in the forest to the left of the steep Eckelraderweg, between Gronsveld and Eckelrade. Diagonally opposite are dole chambers. The quarry has been designated as a “Geological Monument”. Steep limestone walls with here and there sawn surfaces and a few small corridor remains are the only remains. Not much is known about the Trichterberg quarry. That is why Peter Jennekens, Kevin Amendt and Rob Habets wrote a source overview for the magazine of the Study Group Underground Limestone Quarries - Natural History Society in Limburg. Based on this, they cautiously conclude that the origin of the quarry must lie somewhere between the years 1846 and 1867. The entire PDF with all sources can be found at https://www.sok.nl (November 2013 edition).

nice jlim

Text board [see photo] Limestone quarry Trichterberg Geological Monument Limestone quarry Trichterberg In the past, limestone was mined at this location. This limestone was used as building blocks and at a later time for fertilizing (oenergelen) fields and meadows ` In the upper Cretaceous (80 to 65 million years ago) the whole of South Limburg was flooded by a 'Cretaceous sea'. Many plants and animals that are now extinct lived in this tropical sea. The limestone visible here consists of countless skeletons of small plants and animals that formed the plankton. Many large animals also lived in this Cretaceous sea, such as the ten-meter-long 'Mosasaur'. Flint Flint is a hard rock that can form in pure limestone under very special circumstances. Flint consists of pure silica (SiO2). In the Stone Age, this rock was used for making stone tools. Until the last century, flint was used to make fire using the Tinderbox.

The Geulhemmergroeve in Berg en Terblijt and has a tunnel system of approximately 25 kilometers. A special part of this is the rock dwelling. Rock dwellings were created when marl was extracted and a wall with a window and door was placed in front of the carved out cave. https://www.visitzuidlimburg.nl/te-doen-in-zuid-limburg/attracties-bezienswaardigheden/detail/geulhemmergroeve- Inclusief-rotswoning/9410/

The site of the former Plombières mine is home to species-rich calcareous grassland meadows, now protected as a nature reserve. The exceptional flora and fauna of this area are due to the heavy metal-rich soils, particularly the presence of zinc in the subsurface. Among the natural meadow relics, visible traces of the former metal industry can still be found: – Walls from former foundry floors – Remains of old smelting furnaces – Stones from former industrial buildings A small stream meandering through the area further enriches the ecological diversity of this special place. The "Gueule" viewpoint, which offers a glimpse into a cave opening, is particularly impressive and worth a visit.