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Tongeren is a city and municipality in Limburg, Belgium, with a rich Roman and medieval heritage. Learn about its origins as Atuatuca Tungrorum, the capital of the Civitas Tungrorum district, and its role in the Batavian revolt and the conversion of the Franks.
Tongeren is a city full of history, culture and antiques. Find out how to plan your visit, what to see and do, where to eat and stay, and more on the official website of Visit Tongeren.
Apr 1, 2016 · Tongeren claims to be the oldest town in Belgium, dating back to the time of Christ. It has a rich history of Roman conquest, Gallic resistance, Christian worship and antique trade.
Belgium has many beautiful small and big towns to explore, and today, we will discuss what you can see and do in Tongeren, the oldest town in Belgium. Every town has a story to tell and interesting things to see. Tongeren is famously known as the oldest town because it dates back to Roman times.
- Gallo-Romeins Museum
- Basilica of Our Lady
- Teseum
- Tongeren Flea Market
- Roman Walls
- Medieval Walls
- Moerenpoort
- Begijnhof Van Tongeren
- Grote Markt
- Standbeeld Ambiorix
You can dip into Tongeren’s ancient past at this award-winning museum, which moved into a modern building in 2011. The attraction has its roots in a 19th century history and antiquarian society, and its collection has been bolstered by digs and discoveries across more than 160 years. The permanent exhibition begins with the Neanderthals and study’s...
During a period of conflict in the 13th century, Tongeren’s Romanesque main church burnt down and was rebuilt in the Gothic style that survives to this day. In the foundations of this building there’s stonework belonging to a long line of previous places of worship going back all the way to the 4th century CE. The Basilica of Our Lady as it is toda...
The treasury for the Basilica of Our Lady is in the chapterhouse and is an attraction in its own right, holding one of the richest collections of Catholic art in Belgium. At the Teseum this art is combined with an archaeological site excavated to a depth of three metres. Down here you’ll be able to see right back to Tongeren’s origins, in the found...
On Sunday mornings Tongeren is swept up by an antiques market that winds around the city along seven streets. A normal Sunday will bring about 350 stallholders to Tongeren, complementing the 40 or so antiques shops that open their doors. The Tongeren Flea Market started in the early-1970s and has snowballed from a casual gathering to a weekly event...
At the start of 2nd century under Emperor Trajan Atuatuca Tungrorum was enclosed within a wall, more than 4.5 kilometres long and protected in places by up to three moats. The walls were up to two metres thick, and it is believed that, because they were built during a long period of peace, they were built more as a status symbol that for defence. T...
Come the 13th century, when Tongeren was under threat from the Duchy of Brabant, those 4th-century Roman walls were not enough to protect the city. In 1241 a 50-year program of construction got underway, leaving Tongeren with 13 towers, 6 gates and a walled enclosure that added up to 54 hectares (roughly 100 football pitches). A lot of flint and sa...
Of the six gates that controlled access to Tongeren in Medieval times, only the eastern Moerenpoort is still standing. The name refers to the marshes (moeren), on Tongeren’s eastern flank, and you can visit these at the De Kevie nature reserve. The Moerenpoort, as it is now, mostly dates from 1379 when it was reconstructed after an attack in 1344 b...
West of the Moerenpoort is Tongeren’s beguinage, a community for lay religious women who lived a monastic life, without a vow of poverty. This community, dedicated to Saint Catherine, moved to a walled enclave within the city’s defences in the middle of the 13th century. After the Counter-Reformation in the 16th and 17th century the beguinage reach...
In a city as old as Tongeren, it’s exciting to think that people have been congregating on its plazas for many hundreds of years. Grote Markt, and the neighbouring Vlasmarkt and Graanmarkt at the foot of the Basilica of Our Lady, have both been fully pedestrianised and re-paved in the last decade. On a sunny you could just park up on a brasserie or...
More on that statue of Ambiorix (d. 53 BCE), who strikes a defiant pose with axe in hand. He was part ruler of the Belgic Eubrones tribe, which had been conquered in 57 BCE. Three years later Caesar’s troops were low on provisions, and tried to take what they needed from the Eubrones. They resisted because their own supplies were low, and a revolt ...
Tongeren is a city in Belgium with a rich history dating back to Roman times. Learn about its attractions, climate, transport, and culture in this comprehensive guide.
Oct 15, 2018 · Discover the best things to do in Tongeren, a historic town in Belgium. Explore the Gallo-Romeins Museum, the Teseum, the Basilica of Our Lady, the flea market and more.
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