Old Valkenburg

Oud-Valkenburg (Limburgish: Oud-Valkeberg) is a village in the Limburg municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul. The village is situated between Valkenburg and Schin op Geul. The origins of Valkenburg likely lie in Oud-Valkenburg. Presumably, the charter dated February 15, 1041, mentioning the name Falchenberch - the first written mention of Valkenburg - does not refer to the present city along the Geul, but to the current Oud-Valkenburg. Until 1940, the village was an independent municipality.

The church of Oud-Valkenburg is dedicated to John the Baptist and partly dates back to the 11th century. The church contains a baroque altar from the 18th century. Furthermore, the church is adorned with 14 modern Stations of the Cross, created by the artist couple Vroemen-Jager.

In Oud-Valkenburg, there are two castles, Castle Genhoes and Castle Schaloen. Castle Genhoes is the ancestral castle of the lords of Valkenburg. The current buildings, a castle and a closed farm, date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Castle Schaloen was built in 1656 and was extensively restored in the 19th century by Pierre Cuypers. This building also includes a farm. Additionally, there is a watermill (Schaloensmolen or Sjloens Meule) next to the castle and the well-known Castle Garden Oud-Valkenburg with plants that are characteristic of the South Limburg flora.

Oud-Valkenburg is located on the Aachen - Maastricht railway line. From October 23, 1853, to June 1, 1923, the village had its own stop, Station Oud Valkenburg.

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