Top 5 Caves around Savelsbos

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.

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).

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/

The quarry consists of a bent main entrance with a few side passages and is approximately 80 meters long. The quarry entrance is closed off with a fence, so that people cannot enter, but bats and other small animals can. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleinberggroeve_Noord

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.

Quarries The Groeve de Hel has two entrances that are separately indicated as Groeve de (Grote) Hel and Groeve de Kleine Hel. The entrance to Groeve de Grote Hel is located southwest and the entrance to Groeve de Kleine Hel is northeast. The two parts of Groeve de Hel are connected via a crawl-hole connection. Groeve de Hel is a medium-sized quarry and has an entrance area with a collapse doline. The stability of the quarries was poor due to over-exploitation of the quarries and the resulting cracks, especially in Groeve de Kleine Hel. The quarries are closed in such a way that bats can fly into the quarries. Wikipedia: The Groeve de Hel or Helgrove is a Limburg marl quarry in the Dutch municipality of Eijsden-Margraten. The underground quarry is located between Gronsveld and Cadier en Keer on the northwest side of the Riesenberg in the northern part of the Savelsbos. The quarry is located on the western edge of the Margraten Plateau in the transition to the Maas Valley. At the site, the plateau plunges steeply for several meters. The quarry is located along one of the two routes from Cadier and Keer to Gronsveld, the other via De Fontein and the Dorregrubbe dry valley on the other side of the Riesenberg. The route along Groeve de Hel runs via the Gruisveldweg, the Hotsboom, the Helweg and the Keerderweg. About 250 meters to the north is the Hotsboom Quarry, about 300 meters to the south are the Riesenberg Quarry and Groeve on top of the Riesenberg and about 300 meters to the southeast is the Varkensgat Quarry. About 300 meters to the south, Huis De Beuk is located at the head of the Riesenberg. Info: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groeve_de_Hel

One of the most beautiful in the area!!!