The Casemates of Maastricht, Netherlands

Today I bring you another underground adventure, though this one requires no sneaking about or breaking-and-entering to have a look at.  The Maastricht Casemates are a series of tunnels and underground passages running through the western side of the city of the same name.  Used for centuries to defend Maastricht from foreign invaders, these tunnels remain, a testament to the ingenuity of the Dutch people.

The casemates and all their associated structures were built up over the long period from 1575 to 1825.  Their purpose was to keep Maastricht, a desirable piece of real estate for its strategic location, out of the hands of the country's enemies.  They were put together along with the numerous other city defenses and now stretch across a large area.  In addition to providing a place to hide out in case of siege, the many outlets of the labyrinth of tunnels allowed soldiers to sneak up behind enemy positions and gain the element of surprise.

The casemates themselves are a series of passages that run through the walls and, later, were placed in strategic areas to hold gun emplacements.  To connect these positions, many tunnels were built, along with other features necessary for proper defense.  Linked in with the casemates are rooms for powder storage, bomb- and shell-proof fortifications, galleries and domed vaults.  All-in-all, the network has enough space to house more than 5000 men in times of need and is intricately linked with the moats, walls and various fortresses that were part of the city’s defenses.

A visitor to Maastricht can take a tour of the casemates, complete with guide, though they are done on an arranged basis only and you have to go through the Maastricht tourism office.  Unfortunately, it looks like they only do Dutch-language tours, so if you don’t speak the language you’ll be left just looking around and won’t get the full educational experience.  Still, even just being able to walk through these historical tunnels can be enough to spark the imagination and give a sense of what it was like during those very different times.

Maastricht Casemates photo author unknown (via Wikicommons)