Romeinse Katacomben

Roman Catacombs


Useful Information

Location: Valkenburg.
Opposite Leeuw Brouwerij (Lion Brewery).
(50.865544, 5.821536)
Open: APR to AUG daily 11-16.
SEP to MAR Sat, Sun 14.
[2010]
Fee: Adults EUR 7, Children (0-12) EUR 3.50.
[2010]
Classification: SubterraneaRock Mine subterranean limestone quarries.
Light: candles
Dimension: T=12 °C.
Guided tours: D=60 min.
Photography:  
Accessibility:  
Bibliography:  
Address: Romeinse Katacomben, Plenkertstraat 55, 6031 Valkenburg aan de Geul, Tel: +31-43-601-2554, Mobile: +31-6-5116-7856.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1908 Jan Diepen visited the Roman Catacombs.
1908 start of construction.
1910 opened to the public.

Description

The Romeinse Katacomben (Roman Catacombs) at Valkenburg are replicas of the real Roman Catacombs created in an abandoned limestone quarry at Valkenburg. The original catacombs were created about 2000 years ago, then forgotten for centuries, and rediscovered in the 16th century. They became rather popular and were visited by tourists from all over the world. One of them was in 1908 Jan Diepen, son of a wealthy textile manufacturer from Tilburg. He was so impressed by the catacombs, he had the idea to recreate them in his home country in a museum replica. He did this in an abandoned marl quarry at Valkenburg.

The construction of the replica was Led by the renowned architect Dr. Cuypers, the famous architect of the Central Station and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. He copied passages, tombs, burial chambers with burial niches, paintings and sculptures in great detail. There are hundreds of graves, light and air shafts, chapels and marble plaques. The paintings are showing the development of early Christian art from the third to the seventh century. The result is a collection of the most beautiful parts of 14 major Roman Catacombs.

The tours into the catacombs have a special quality, as the place is not electrically lighted. The visitors get candles and the visit is carried out only with this sparse light. Only the guide has a lamp in order to show the visitors certain specialties of the tour.