Rent accommodation in Valkenburg

Fluweelengrot is the name given to a cave formed by the extraction of limestone and found in the Dutch city of Valkenburg.
The cave owes its name to Andreas Flouin. In the 17th century, he owned the cave. Other sources indicate that the cave owes its name to the Fluwientje. The underground limestone quarry caused by the extraction for the construction of the Valkenburg castle is located under the ruins of the castle. After the completion of the castle it was used for the construction of houses, churches and other buildings.
Due to the extraction activities, an extensive maze of corridors and tunnels has emerged. The length of the Fluweelrot is more than 5 kilometers, with the complete corridor system of all the caves in Valkenburg reached more than 200 kilometers.
In 1937 a new part of the cave was discovered. There were several escape routes from the castle to the caves revealed by chance. These corridors were carved by enemy armies that tried to undermine the castle. The halls were excavated behind the castle to allow the passage to the enemies. A large part of the escape routes were destroyed and / or damaged by the excavation of the Fluweelengrot, because at that time the existence of the corridors was unknown. Part of the halls were restored in the twentieth century and are used today to tour the ruins of the castle.

Cauberg is a hill in Valkenburg aan de Geul, a city in the Netherlands located in the province of Limburg. The length of the climb is around 1200 m, with an average slope of 5.8% and a maximum of 12%.
The classic cyclist Amstel Gold Race used this climb as a final from 2003 to 2012. The race often ended with a sprint uphill from a small group. During the race the cyclists have climbed the Cauberg twice before the end of the summit. Since 2013, the Cauberg is no longer the end of the Amstel Gold Race, continuing 1.8 km more.