History

Marl and sandstone are the only types of stone found in the Netherlands. Marl is now only mined near the village Sibbe in South Limburg, sandstone was extracted in the past near Winterswijk. This quarry is now closed, for sandstone, they are now dependent on foreign countries, particularly in the Bentheim sandstone from Gildehaus.

The Netherlands has a long tradition of using natural stone. The Dutch architecture, what goes back to the Middle Ages, when Romanesque churches were built with tufa in the Eifel. In South Limburg was traditionally used many marl.

Only since the 17th century mainly Italian marble slowly introduced into the houses of the nobility and the bourgeoisie, but really as a luxury and ostentation.

Stone are found in almost endless varieties. Today, rock from around the world brought to the Netherlands. As a rule, a subdivision in it is made:

• Igneous rock: including granite, basalt and trachyte lavas
• Sedimentary rock: including limestones, sandstones and tuffs
• Metamorphic rock: as gneiss and marble