Events

Since the Middle Ages quarrymen have been extracting building stone from this bedrock for the purpose of erecting castles, churches, community buildings or farmhouses. The stone is a sediment locally called Marlstone, which finds its origin in the Late-Cretaceous period. Some 120–70 million years ago this part of the Netherlands consisted of a large and shallow subtropical sea. During the mining process many fossils were found of prehistoric animals like the world famous Mosasaurus. Its  discovery in 1770 AD initiated Charles Darwin to develop his evolution theory.

After the quarries were abandoned by the quarrymen they became of use to many purposes. The main purpose over the ages was that these underground spaces became a place of refuge when many foreign armies ravaged these lands for spoils of war. The local population has always been save here. During the French occupation by the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte around 1800 AD this particular quarry was being used as an underground place of worship where a priest in exile would read the catholic mass for many years, while persecuted by the French who had confiscated all churchly goods and forbidden all public exposure of belief.