Ondergronds gangenstelsen in de Sint Pietersberg te Maastricht, mogelijk ter hoogte van de Negendrup c. 1859

Alexander Schaepkens created this print of the underground tunnel system in the Sint Pietersberg near Maastricht. The print offers a glimpse into the subterranean world of the marl quarries that have shaped the landscape and history of the region. Schaepkens invites us to contemplate the lives of the laborers who toiled in these dark and often dangerous spaces. These workers, often marginalized and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, carved out the very stones that built the cities above. The stark contrast between light and shadow evokes the harsh realities of working deep beneath the earth's surface. What might it have meant to be dependent on the literal fruits of the earth for one's survival? What were the emotional and psychological effects of such labor? The print serves as a poignant reminder of the human stories etched into the very foundations of our built environment.