Roman history

Although Belgium surrendered, a number of revolts took place. Emperor Augustus ensured that Belgium became a province of the Roman Empire. The cities of Tournai and Tongeren were created by the Romans.

And the Romans named the hot, sulphurous mineral springs in Aachen (Germany) Aquis-Granum, after the Celtic god of healing. They built spas for their soldiers in the area.

In the Roman Quarter in Heerlen (Netherlands) you will discover a city beneath the city. Just under your feet is Coriovallum, a Roman settlement of stature. Two thousand years of history comes to the surface.

A dynamic time began, because the Romans were very active in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine: war, trade, urban planning. To this day you can still find the remains of masterful buildings and ancient roads. The Via Belgica runs like a Roman lifeline right through the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. Many different Roman remains have been found along this road, such as graves, roads, villages, bathhouses, watchtowers and villas.

The original inhabitants of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine lived as farmers thanks to the fertile soil. When the Romans conquered this area, they introduced the concept of ‘market’. Farmers now produced more than was needed for their own families and sold it on the market to the coming people and the soldiers guarding the Rhine border. The peasants who lived here underwent a Roman transformation known as “Romanisation”.
Like the market, many other traces of Roman society have been preserved in our current culture. You can think of the use of concrete and roof tiles in house construction and the Latin influence in our language.
Or how about the grapes and cherries.