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Syndicat d'initiative et de tourisme de la commune de Walferdange

History of excavations

History of excavations

1913: the Municipality authorises excavations in the 'forest shafts'. These are interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War.

1965 -1970: The Walferdange Tourist Board SIT, in ccoperation with the Groupe spéléologique du Luxembourg, clears the already partially open shaft 5 until a depth of 26 metres. This initiative has been fostered by the local historians Georges Faber and Nicolas Kohl.

1987-1991: Construction of a special hoisting equipment with several safety devices. Clearing of shafts 6 to 9 after a previous underground spotting operation. Discovery of the gallery's end at 8 metres from shaft 9. Discovery of natural underground water supplies through fissures in the rock.

1986: The EFCO contractor clears shaft 5 until its bottom (depth of 36 metres). The horizontal links to the neighbouring shafts 4 and 6 are open. Discovery of the conduit with its running water.

1992: Opening of shaft 1 until its bottom. Discovery of an intermediate gallery at a depth of 20 metres; it may have been excavated by the 'qanat' builders for sounding purposes, in order to explore the inclination of the geological layers. This gallery ends with rockslides and is therefore not accessible.

1994-1996: Looking for the point where gallery reaches the ground surface - this point is still unknown today. The gallery's western part enters into the marls and is interrupted by rockslides or by filling materials. Partial opening of the gallery.

2000: Construction of a visitor's gallery.