The formation of the cave

Long before visitors walked through the passages of the Municipal Cave, stone cutters worked here. Around 1250, they began quarrying marlstone here. Using simple tools such as a chisel and, later, a saw and a gouge, they cut blocks of marlstone from the mountain, one by one. This is how the network of passages you see today came to be. It was hard work: they worked long hours in a constant temperature of 12 degrees, and the only light came from a small flame.

The marlstones were initially intended primarily for churches, castles and other buildings belonging to the nobility and the clergy. Later, the marl was also used by the local population. If you look closely, you can still see the work of the stone cutters in the walls and ceilings today. Straight lines reveal where the chisels were used, and the smooth walls show the work of the saws. There are also places where stone cutters carved their accounts into the marl walls. In this way, the passages tell not only the story of the cave, but also that of the stone cutters who created it centuries ago.