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Botanical garden Oud-Valkenburg (or Castle Garden Oud-Valkenburg) lies in the surroundings of castle Schaloen near Valkenburg. Volunteers of the Institution for the Preservation and Education of Nature (IVN) are working dailey in this garden to throw it open to the public and to make sure it’s well-kept.
Many herbs and plants are located in this beautiful and peaceful garden. Opened from 27th April till 6th October 2008, dailey from 10.30 a.m. till 4.30 p.m. Guided tours : tel. 043-6013312. (ms. M. Maessen).
Fee: Euro 3 adults; Euro 2 1/2 seniors; Euro 1 children 6-12 years. Children younger then 6 free.
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Contact-adress: IVN Valkenburg aan de Geul
IVN Valkenburg aan de Geul
Jozef Postmesstraat 16
6137 CK Sittard
The Netherlands
The IVN also organises walks and birdwatching-tours .
Part 1. The garden as a kitchen garden of a farm
In former days we found a utilitarian or kitchen garden near every castle, country-house or farmhouse. There grew fruit trees, vegetables, vines, herbs, medicinal plants and flowers. The style was very simple: paths in the form of a cross, a bench in a summerhouse and a circular bed in the centre. Often the separate rooms were bordered by yew-trees, because, according to popular belief, the plants within the yew circle would grow better then. Later on the cultivation of these plants had a more aesthetic aim.
Part 2. South-Limburg, old culture land
More than 4000 years B.C. the first farmers settled on the fertile soil of South Limburg. They pulled up the forests, sowed and reaped. They grazed their cattle, went hunting and lots of fish were caught in the rivulets. Ages passed by and gradually some improvements made their way in agricultural methods.
Until the twenties, the primitive garden-hedges could be seen almost erverywhere. The hand-made drinking troughs of lime stone are still te been seen here and there. Moreover, some old weeds remained, the so-called culture followers which followed the agriculture on its way through the ages.
Part 3. Produce on the fields from ancient days
On this spot, you will find a choice of cereals from the past. Most of them are unknown nowadays. Some corns: emer, rye and spelt. Food plants such as buckwheat, millet and lentil. Fodderplants such as fieldcarrots and oats. Plants for the production of oil: cole-cabbage and gold of pleasure for the use in kitchen and for lighting.
Stimulants such as mustard, hop, tobacco and chicory. Tinctorial plants such as woad, dyers-weed and madder. Plants for the production of textiles: weaver’s teastel, hemp, flax and canary-seed.
Part 4. Wayside-crosses, sunken lanes, wild flowers …. That is Limburg!
The many wayside-crosses, wayside shrines and chapels are typical for the Limburg landscape. Some of them originate from the seventh and eight century, even before our Julian calender the inhabitants buried the dead near cross-roads and bifurcations. The typical sunken lanes with their abundant vegetation were mainly created under the influence of man.
In these regions agriculture has been practised for ages. Because of the fact that draught animals were often used the soft soil of the roads was wasted away by the hoofs and the rain into the lower situated fields. Thus in the course of ages, the sunken lanes grew in the landscape.
Part 5. Marlstone, blockworkers and life in stone
In a far away past, that hardly can be imagined by modern people, about 65-70 millions of years ago (during the Cretaceous) there was a shallow sea in parts of South Limburg. This sea was inhabitated by billions of small animals, almost all of them having a chalk-like skeleton. Then the numerous mussels and other crustaceans sank to the bottom and thus built up a layer of chalk that in some places is 60 metres thick. Through upward movements in the earth some layers of chalk came to the surface.
This chalk (marlstone) was used by the population as building-stones for their farms and houses. In this way there grew a network of underground passages and rooms: the famous caves. In Valkenburg you can visit several of them, like the Gemeentegrot (Town’s Cave) and the Fluweelen Grot (Velvet Cave). Also interesting caves are the Roman Catacombs (a copy in marlstone of the famous catacombs in Rome) and the Coal Mine (a copy of a coal mine with machinery !)
Part 6.
We find mistletoe in all the marl district of South Limburg. Until the beginning of this century it could be found in the orchards with standard fruit trees. Here the name of this semi-parasetic plant is “maretak”. “Mare”means witch, devil (like in nightmare!). Another well-known, parasitic, preferably growing on birchtrees and wild cherry is the witches’ besom.
According to popular belief these muddled-uptwigs grew when, during the night witches and demons sat down on the trees for a rest. Still there grow a lot of poisonous plants in the hilly land of South Limburg and many of these have played a not unimportant role, sometimes mysterious and weird, in everydaylife on the population.
Part 7. Ecology, environment and climate
More and more the woods of the Marl District are threatened by the increase of acidity of the soil. This is brought about by industry, traffic and agricultural activities. A very harmfull influence is caused by the spreading of ammonia (dung) on the fields. Through the acidification process the woods become more sensitive for dryness, insects and mildews.
Other problems are the fall of the water-table, the fact that aluminium is liberated and that there is an excess of nitrogen, through which other nutritious substances such as potassium and magnesium get into a corner. Various species of butterflies disappear because of detoriation of the environment. The living circumstances for the earth worm and the cockhafer are going down as well. The dying off on the life in the soil is thus accompanied by the decay of the structure of the soil: the fertility decreases.
Part 8. Rich birdlife around Schaloen
A relatively large part of this park is intended to be a breedingground for birds. This part is exclusively planted with fruitbearing and seed-bearing woody plants. The fruits and seeds ripe in various parts of the year, so that there will be sufficient food for the birds throughout the year. Only at heavy falls of snow, glazed frost or lasting periods of frost it will be necessary to throw food.
In the breeding-ground you will find a small circular shallow dish, which offers birds an oppurtunity to take a bath. It is situated in the shade so that the water can remain cool. Birds which you can see regularly in the garden are: Linnet, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Grey Wagtail, Spotted Flycatcher, Serin and Lesser Kestrel. The IVN has its own birdwatching’group Pica
Part 9. The burrow of a nocturnal wanderer
At nightfall and in dark nights the badger will leave its burrow. Wandering through woodlands, fields and meadows it sometimes covers quite a long distance. It lives on vegetable foods as well as on animal food. Recently a badger was seen in the vicinity, robbing bumble-bee nests and picking maize-ears. Though this mammal has no natural enemy, except human beings, the number of badgers has decreased in the latest decades. The badger is a very useful animal. It’s very clean, likes bathing and basking in the sun. Since 1947 the animal is legally protected in the Netherlands. But still this animal is being poached and poisoned by various offenders of the law. In the Netherlands, the society Das en Boom (literally: Badger and Tree!), is particularly involved in the protection of the badger and other mustelidae.
Part 10. Panorama
From this point, you’ll have a view on several salient spots, like the former castle of Valkenburg, nowadays a ruin, the Benedictine convent and the so-called Geul-park with its fish-pond.
Part 11. Biological life in and around the drinking pool
The drinking pool served as a place for the thirsty cattle. Moreover the village wagonbuilder used it to lye his wood; and when there was a fire in the village the pool water was indispendable. Such a water basin was fed by the rain-water that found its way along the metalled roads.
In and around the drinking pool a rich biological life developed. Frogs, toads, salamanders, lampoons, snails, leeches, slugs, dragonflies and water-beetles can be found here. The vegetation accommodates to this animal life.
12. Things worth knowing about the life of bees abd about bee-keeping
Did you know….
- that the quantity of nectar and of weeds that produce pollen has greatly decreased because of modern methods for agriculture and the use of pesticides and intensive cropspraying?
- that, in spite of this, more than 9000 bee-masters are active in the Netherlands?
- that in South-Limburg there are more than 300 bee-keepers with 2000 bee-colonies?
- that bees are socially-living insects and that they know a strictly regulated division of labour by instinct?
- that they, according to age, polish cells, build honeycombs, feed the larvae, put away the pollen, collect nectar, fetch water or stand guard at the opening of the bee-hive?
- that a bee-colony has only one queen-bee, that produces 1500-2000 eggs a day?
- that honey is the oldest sweetener on earth?
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Part 13. A bit of nature, geology, history and romance
At the beginning of the footpath along the river Geul you will see a part of a so-called dolin. Dolines or solution-pipes were caused by the erosive power of the rain water in the soft chalk. These pipes became dangerous when they grew to such a diameter that even men or animals could disappear in them.
In spring the woodland plants on the slopes bloom, because the sunlight can fall through the bare branches of the trees. From the path along the water you can see a for our country unique fish-basket or corf beside the mill. The basket was closed, the lock-gate was drawn and the fish came with the running water into the basket. The water run away and the fish was left in the fish-basket. It was not a sportsmanlike way of fishing! Sometimes they gathered 40-50 kilo’s of trout or eel, for the residents of castle Schaloen.
Part 14. Are there any moors left in South Limburg?
Names of places ending in –heide, such as Heerlerheide or Spekholzerheide indicate that in former days there were a lot of moors (=heide) in South-Limburg. About 1400 BC these moors must have come into existence. Later on the inhabitants grazed their sheep here, primarily for the manure which was used to fertilize the soil.
Part 15. Officinal herbs in former times
In the days that there were only few physicians the knowledge of officinal herbs for the benefit of man and animal was on a rather high level. Especially in the remote villages and hamlets people were entirely dependent on the use of indegenous officinal herbs. The knowledge they had about medicine has been known for ages and had been conveyed from generation to generation. Herbs like common confrey, tansy, marigold, valerian and Dog’s Mercury owe their names to the use of popular methods of treatment in former days. Later on scientific research was made into these officinal herbs and, if possible, medicines were manufactured synthetically. .
Part 16. The old farm-yard
Every farm possessed a baking-oven, a small building situated apart from the farmhouse. It was stoked with faggots, called "fakke" or "sjanse" in South-Limburg. The storage, roofed over, was called sjansesjop. The piled up faggots formed a labyrinth of passages and rooms, an ideal place for weasel, polecat, ermine and hedgehog. In icy weather conditions it was a place of refuge for birds. Drones, bees and some species of butterflies hibernated in the bundles of straw under the roofing tiles.
Near the farm-yard the farmer stored tree-stumps from dead fruit-trees. They were used as logs for the fire-place and for the stove on which the cattle-fodder was prepared. Very often there were many tree-stumps and they lay there for years.
On the mouldered wood moss and fungi developed. When the change into humus had taken place a spontaneous vegetation developed and the stumps became an El Dorado for small mammals and amphibians.
Part 17. Tankfarming
In this part, you'll see various species of waterplant, like watercress and arrowhead.
Part 18. Mill of Schaloen Castle
The mill is accessible from the garden via the lock-bridge. The mechanism of this watermill is driven by a turbine. Until the twenties this was done by a vertically rotating water-wheel. The heart of the mill with its rotating axles and cog wheels is on the ground-floor. Here you can visit the miller's house, the domicile of the miller and his family. Millstone-loft and the loft below the cap may be visited as well.
* Sjloens Meule, the watermill of Schaloen castle
The watermill of Schaloen, Sjloens Meule as it is popularly called, was built between 1661 and 1665. The dates on the front of this building indicate that a thourough restauration took place between 1699 and`1701. The text on the front and the heavily barred windows bear witness of the turbulent days of the so-called bokkenrijders-bands.
In former days this mill was a ban-mill. That means that the peasants in the neigbourhood were forced to have their corn ground in this mill, on penalty of high fines and attachment of their produce of the field.
Part 19. The "Kruydthof" : a classical old-dutch herb garden.
This garden is divided into four quarters, partly bordered by box-trees. Here you will find the herbs which are used in the kitchen.
In the outer circle the four narrow strips are mainly planted with officinal herbs. Behind these you will find woody plants which mostly possess healing properties. In addition to the herbs we find various flowers, fragrant herbs, curiosities, palm-liel, roses and clipped yew-trees.To beautify the garden the circular flowerbed in the centre was laid out and the flower-dishes were created in baroque style. They form a colourful counterbalance to the abundant green in this part of the garden.
At the bottom of the garden there is a fountain in a wall, which means to refer to the natural springs at the bottom of some hills in South-Limburg. The wall-fountain is a reflection of the front side of the mill. In the front is a picture of a so-called Bokkenrijder . According to the ancient popular belief the members of this gang moved through the air, seated on he-goats or bucks. They only travelled by night, therefore the background of the panel is black. The bokkenrijders harassed South-Limburg for decades, thow many people were falsely accused by the judicial authorities of being a members of the gang. Several hundreds of people were executed between 1743 and 1775,to force them to admit that they were a member of this gang
20. Sjloens Höfke
This used to be the store of wood of the Schaloen castle. Now in use as clubroom for meetings and courses. It's also the youth-room of the IVN and only accessible during exhibitions, film- or slidesperformances.
After your visit to the garden, you can rest for a nice cup of tea with so-called "Limburgse vlaai" (a typical pie in this part of the Netherlands, mostly with fruit or rice) at the so-called Poorthoes , near the Schaloen-castle.
* Nettle, during ancient times in use by rheumatics. They used to hit themselves with nettles to drive away the pain.
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