The caves of Folx-les-Caves in Folx-les-Caves, a borough of Orp-Jauche in Walloon Brabant, are not naturally occurring caves but galleries that were carved centuries ago as underground quarries.
They are located at an average depth of 16 meters and cover approximately 6 hectares. They consist of two corridors called the 'Caves Bodart' and the 'Caves Racourt', which are connected by one closed corridor. An underground stream that flows into Kleine Gete runs through the caves. The caves are carved in an arc shape. They have a height between 2 and 4 meters with peaks of up to 8 meters. The pillars that remain as support are 2 to 8 meters apart. The walls often show pickaxe marks from when they were hewn.
There are no written sources or studies that provide a definitive answer about the origin and age of the caves. The caves already existed before 1606. From that year there is a book by Jean-Baptiste Gramaye in which the “caverna subterranea” is described.[1] The oldest inscription in the caves bears the date 1771.
The underground passages were created by mining the chalk rock, also called "marl". This can be used as a soil improver for emaciated fields or in construction when cement did not yet exist. In the chalk, flint or flint, as used in the construction of farms and churches in the region. It is not clear for what purpose the galleries in Folx-les-Caves were carved.
Over the centuries, the caves were used as a storage place. In the turmoil of war, the local residents used them as shelters. During the French occupation between 1793 and 1797, the caves were a refuge for persecuted priests who celebrated masses, of which two carved altars remain. As early as the 19th century, stones were quarried in caves. A brewery was also housed there and from 1886 mushrooms were grown there. Later, a part was also used as a banquet hall.
Cave Racourt has been a tourist attraction since the 19th century, but can no longer be visited. Cave Bodart was purchased by the province of Walloon Brabant.
The caves were used for recordings of the youth series 'Johan en de Alverman' (1965) and the film 'Alles must go' (1996).
The site has been protected as a monument since 1993.
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