WARHORSES TO BE PROUD OF
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 17/12/2020

In 2010 during a large excavation at Maastricht-Borgharen (NL) a mass grave of 65 horses was found. It is still the largest grave of horses ever found in Europe and scientifically speaking a real “Fundgrube”! The grave dates to the 18th century and is part of the military history of one of the many besieges of the fortification of Maastricht. On one afternoon over 1000 people visited this spectacular find. The media was of course also very interested and there were broadcasts on local, regional and national television and radio, but also on the regional radio from the neighboring countries of Belgium and Germany. There was even a little article in the Washington Post about it! For a short moment in time the little village of Borgharen was in the focus of the world press! The people of the village of Borgharen became very proud about “their horses” and wanted to express this pride in a proper and sustainable way. The “Buurtraad Borgharen”, a local committee, started to write letters and e-mails to the local politicians and all the other parties involved in this excavation. Several ideas were launched to commemorate this important find. Some of the ideas were rather unrealistic because of the immense costs involved. But the locals never gave up….started fundraising and a charm offensive and eventually found a way to express their pride in a satisfying way.


Author(s): Soeters, Gilbert (Municipality of Maastricht)