Flint mine Valkenburg

In Valkenburg lies one of the oldest archaeological national monuments in the Netherlands: a site with the partially visible remnants of seven prehistoric flint mines. Here, the very first miners of the Netherlands (around 5,500 years ago) searched for the steel of the Stone Age: flint.
Flint is a versatile material. In a time when bronze and iron had not yet been invented, flint was used to make various tools and weapons.
To obtain flint, people dug meters-deep mines during part of the new Stone Age (between about 4,000 and 2,800 BC). In Plenkertstraat, you can see the remnants of this.
Flint mining was one of the oldest forms of raw material extraction in the Netherlands. Flint is the oldest Dutch 'export product'. Archaeologists have found flint tools made from South Limburg flint hundreds of kilometers away from here.

In our Land of Valckenborgh, a foundation for cultural historical and archaeological research, guided tours are given at the mines, along with presentations about the prehistory of Valkenburg aan de Geul. Please consult the website for more information.

Tourist Board South Limburg (Visit Zuid-Limburg)