Attractions and Places To See around Savelsbos - Top 18

Huis De Beuk is a building in the Savelsbos forest, located in the Dutch municipality of Eijsden-Margraten. The white building is situated northeast of the village of Gronsveld, on a spur of the Wijngaardsberg/Riesenberg, on the edge of the Margraten Plateau. From this location, there is a view of the Meuse Valley to the west. South of Huis De Beuk, the Termaardergrub flows into the Meuse Valley.

A very beautiful forest. If you use the designated paths, you'll enjoy beautiful views of the Meuse Valley from the edge of the forest. The remains of old quarries provide further variety.

great place with beautiful view

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).

At the top is the old forester's house Huis De Beuk and there you really have a lookout point with a bench to enjoy after this fairly easy climb with beautiful views, the quarry and the house itself.

This old forester's house dates from 1848 and was built by order of the Martens family from the Belgian university city of Leuven, who owned the forest at the time. The marlstone house was not named after the beech tree but after the first residents, the Beuken family. For three generations, descendants of the family worked here as forester or field guard. You can read this and much more on the information board at Huis De Beuk.

How old the Great and Small Hell quarries are is difficult to say with precision, but they are certainly sixteenth century. A clue can be found in a small niche where the date 1587 is thinly scratched and almost illegible on the 24th day…. Furthermore, a single date from the seventeenth century and various dates from the beginning of the eighteenth century. Quite a few inscriptions can be found in the hell quarries, such as somewhat cryptic: “Sister of the sunbeam, a white rose in the bouquet, a lily on the foliage, a swan whose down does not recognize its border, a star in the blue firmament”. Or edifying: You who enter here, let all feuds go”. And what about: “Never again will I come here to the accursed caverns”. Sometimes visitors to Hell could barely save themselves. “Today, the 1st (February).. Around 12 o’clock in the morning of 1823, a terrible number of blocks fell down, under which the three of us had stood, named Matthijs Ramakers of Margerate, Matthieu Schrijnemaekers Gronsfeld W. Theunissen. We thank God that he has preserved us from death”. A major collapse occurred in June 1965. This was not surprising, as the stability of the Kleine Hel in particular was questionable. Several columns showed cracks and there had been a lot of overexploitation. Not long after, the entrances were closed. Nevertheless, in December 1982, members of the Vereniging tot Natuurbehoud managed to visit the Helgroeve. A report of the trip can be found in Ut Wiet Klief of July 1984. During the trip through the marl corridors, the nature lovers came across a number of inscriptions, sometimes just a name, then again a year. A number of inscriptions that were encountered spoke for themselves. Two examples: ‘I am in Hell, I know that. I am all alone here. The devil knows where my comrades are.’ Or what about: ‘Watch out for those who love the Devil, because here in this place that has always borne the name of Hell, the devils are innumerable.’ Or: ‘He who looks at this monster (devil) is even more mad than he who made him.’ ‘Workman from this mountain, what you are now I have been and what I am now (skeleton) you will soon be. Anyone who wants to read more about the most fascinating text in the quarry according to the author of the above article or wants to know everything about the accident of January 17, 1893, goes to https://historischekringcadierenkeer.nl/nieuws/55-publicaties-keerder-kroniek/kent-u-deze-plek-links/928-de-hel.html

Northern part (the Riesenberg) of the beautiful Savelsbos with its many wild garlic, grubben and grooves, history and beautiful nature and views. A bit more official: "The Savelsbos is a narrow, rugged hillside forest, one of the most beautiful forests in South Limburg. Beneath the forest meander the corridors of (really) old quarries. The minerals were gravel, marl and flint. There are several prehistoric flint mines in the Savelbos. If you visit the Savelbos, you are entering badger territory. The largest badger population in the Netherlands lives here. You will definitely come across castles there. If you go in May, there is a strong smell of garlic in the forest and you will be enchanted by the white flowers of the wild garlic." Source and info: https://www.visitzuidlimburg.nl/te-doen-in-zuid-limburg/attracties-bezienswaardigheden/detail/savelsbos/65177/