Fluweelengrot, Underground quarry and mining museum in Valkenburg aan de Geul, Netherlands.
Fluweelengrot is an underground quarry and mining museum with an extensive network of passages carved into marlstone. The spaces are shaped by their natural structure and the various marks left from mining operations.
The site developed as a quarrying operation for marlstone used in construction and served a protective role during World War II. The caves also held strategic importance for local inhabitants in earlier periods.
The walls display inscriptions, drawings, and artwork left behind by generations of miners documenting their thoughts across long periods. These personal traces tell stories of the creativity and daily lives of those who worked below ground.
The rooms maintain a constant temperature of around 12 degrees Celsius throughout the year, so visitors should bring warm clothing. Sturdy footwear is necessary since the underground paths are uneven and potentially slippery.
Inside the network is a small chapel built during wartime to create a refuge for prayer. This religious space shows how people expressed hope during difficult times while sheltering underground.
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