Belgium Under the Radar – Tongeren, Tongeren, Belgium (B)

Tongeren lies in the far east of the Dutch-speaking province of Limburg. It is the oldest town in Belgium, founded in 15 BC to serve as a supply station for the Roman legions based in the Rhine valley. Located on a crossroads of two major military roads, it quickly became an important trade center for the region. ‘Atuatuca Tungrorum’, as the town was called by the Romans, was inhabited by a mix of Roman soldiers and the local Tungri, a group of Belgic tribes in Gaul. The Tungri people were first referred to as Germani (according to Tacitus), which would later become a name widely applied to the peoples east of the Rhine River.

Tongeren gradually developed into one of the largest towns in northern Gaul. In the second century AD the Romans built fortified city walls, which shows the importance and greatness of what had by then become a city. In later Roman times the city became increasingly Christian and churches and chapels were built.

Tongeren then all but disappears from historical records until the early 13th century, when a new basilica and the medieval city walls were built. Nowadays it is a friendly city, steeped in history and located in between the sloping hills and fruit farms of the Haspengouw region. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).