Caves North St Peter's Mountain

Underground surprises

Caves North is also part of an incredibly large cave system, with as many as 22,000 corridors. How did these corridors ever form? Not by natural action, as the name might suggest. No, these 'caves' were created by marl quarrying that took place here 700 years ago. Over the years, every part of history has left its traces in the caves and that is precisely what makes them so interesting. A special piece of Maastricht.

History through the years

The remains of, among others, all kinds of animal species that died as many as 700 million years ago can be found in the marlstone. It forms the basis for this type of stone for which Maastricht is so famous. In addition, this location, Grotten Noord, played an important role during the French Revolution. In 1794, three peasant families were hiding in the caves to escape the threat of war. You can still see all kinds of evidence of this. Reason why part of Caves North is also called 'the French corner'.

Art, dome & vault

As you wander through the caves for a while, at one point you come to a stop at a special section, overlooking the dome. The French used to attempt to blow up Fort Saint Peter here. Fortunately, they failed, but as a result, part of it collapsed completely. There is another special anecdote attached to this story, but you won't get into the caves without a guide and bet he'll tell you! In addition, you're also bound to walk past a portrait of D.C. van Schaïk. He was the electrical engineer who solved the short circuit in the cable car during marl mining. He came up with the idea of creating a tunnel so that marl transport could take place from there. He also made an underground map of all these tunnels because he was so passionate about his task. The vault is another highlight of Caves North, in 1942 it was adapted in the cave because none other than Rembrandt's Night Watch was hidden here from the Germans.

Visit Caves North

We can imagine that after all these exciting stories, you want to hear more about Grotten Noord. That's convenient, Maastricht Underground's Official Maastricht Guides will take you on several tours every day to tell you all about the caves. From Mosasaurus - discovered by block breakers in 1770 - to the anecdote regarding the French who tried to blow up the Fort. A tour of the caves puts your senses on excitement and is hugely educational. Highly recommended during your visit to Maastricht. By the way, did you know that there is a constant temperature of around 11 degrees in the caves all year round? Very cool it is!