Däölkesberg

From Old Valkenburg, you look at an impressive limestone wall, right in the green. It looks like you are staring into a cave, but it is an abri: an overhanging piece of rock.
The alcove was probably eroded by an eddy in the Geul while it was in the process of eroding this valley. In this process, the different layers of limestone have become clearly visible in the rock face. There are also cavities in the wall caused by later limestone extraction that took place from 1440.
The evidence is not yet conclusive, but it seems that this overhanging rock was already used as a shelter in prehistoric times. Various prehistoric tools made of flint have been found here.
So far, this is the only known abri in the Netherlands. The perhaps somewhat imposing name is pronounced just as ‘dulkusberg’. Döälke is the local dialect word for jackdaw, the crow-like bird that probably nested here.
The little hollows in the Däölkesberg are still used by many more birds…

Office de tourisme du Sud du Limbourg (Visit Zuid-Limburg)