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The Transversal Heritage of Maastricht Stone, a Potential Global Heritage Stone Resource from Belgium and the Netherlands

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Abstract

Maastricht Stone is a soft and porous, pale limestone from the Krijtland, a geological region with Late Cretaceous outcrops across the border of Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany. It has a remarkably high porosity and low strength; however, the stone is very durable in a diverse range of outdoor applications. The stone has been used since Roman times, excavated in some opencast and many underground quarries. Its main use is situated in the period between the fifteenth and first half of the twentieth century. The local community has always been strongly engaged with the production of the stone and the resulting underground landscape, which has served for secondary purposes as shelter, mushroom cultivation, and tourism. Today, the region is appreciated for this particular landscape and the recognisability of the built heritage in Maastricht Stone. The stone is a preferred substrate for scientific research in stone conservation, due to of the homogeneity of the blocks from the last remaining active quarry in combination with its specific petrophysical properties. Therefore, Maastricht Stone is proposed as a ‘Global Heritage Stone Resource’ to augment its visibility and understanding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES), Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Mutsaardstraat 31, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium

    Mike Lahaye & Tim De Kock

  2. Municipality of Riemst, Maastrichtersteenweg 2b, 3770, Riemst, Belgium

    Mike Lahaye

  3. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences – Geological Survey of Belgium, Jennerstraat 13, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Michiel Dusar

  4. Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, De Bosquetplein 6-7, 6211 KJ, Maastricht, the Netherlands

    John W. M. Jagt & Paul Kisters

  5. Monuments Lab, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA), Jubelpark 1, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Tanaquil Berto

  6. PProGRess, Geology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000, Gent, Belgium

    Veerle Cnudde

  7. Environmental Hydrogeology, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8A, 3584 CB, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    Veerle Cnudde

  8. TNO-Netherlands Geological Survey, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    C. Wim Dubelaar

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Lahaye, M., Dusar, M., Jagt, J.W.M. et al. The Transversal Heritage of Maastricht Stone, a Potential Global Heritage Stone Resource from Belgium and the Netherlands. Geoheritage 14, 49 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-022-00683-y

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