Oct 4 – I think this is the longest we’ve ever stayed in one town! As pretty as it is, we’re running out of things to see. We originally dismissed the idea of paying 15€ apiece to tour the ruins of the castle on the hill, as we could see most of it from the street. By today, however, that option was looking pretty interesting, so here we go!
The castle ruins viewed from the streetNow we’ll see them up close and personal!
I mentioned in a previous post that the original wooden castle only lasted for eight years in the 1100s. Stone versions were subsequently built up and knocked right down until the 1400s, when the ruins were allowed to remain ruins. Not much history to tell.
Part of a tile floor unearthed for us to see Nice views of the town below – the metal weathervane depicts St. Servatius with his foot on the neck of a dragonClose up of the St. Servatius weathervaneFrom this angle, you can imagine the bucolic view the original inhabitants sawCastle selfie!
For the price of admission, we also got to tour the sandstone tunnels dug under the castle in about the 14th century.
A stonecutter removing bricks from the tunnel
The tunnels provided bricks for the rebuilding of the castle, and also provided a way for the castle inhabitants to escape unseen. Although the tour was only in Dutch, we enjoyed seeing the artwork carved into the soft stone.
Our tour guide illuminated the artwork with a flashlight What the castle looked like in better daysA siegeThis is the story of two brothers in love with the same princess. When she chose to marry one, the other one, of course, killed her.Some fossilized shells in the sandstone A jawbone of a prehistoric reptile was found in the sandstone. This is what the creature may have looked like! The actual jawbone was taken by the French, and is in a museum in Paris.In September 1944, the Americans liberated Maastricht and Valkenburg from the Nazis, and used these tunnels.The G.I.s left their signatures in the soft stone, and a local artist drew their silhouettes below.Queen Julianna and her family
In the 18th century, a subterranean chapel was carved out of the sandstone.
St. Servatius, the patron saint of Maastricht, lived in the fourth century.The carving above the altar
So, what do you think? As always, we learned something today, well worth the price of admission!
Taking Our Time 