Tongeren (
French Tongres,
German Tongern) is a
city and
municipality located in the
province of
Limburg,
Flemish region,
Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in
Belgium. Known as
Atuatuca Tungrorum to the
Romans, it was the administrative centre of the district
Tungri under their rule.
Before the Roman conquests, this area was inhabited by the Eburones, a Belgic tribe. During Julius Caesar’s campaigns in this area in the 1st century BC, Ambiorix, a Eburonian chief, incited his people to rise up against Caesar and proceeded to kill an entire Roman legion near a place called Atuatuca (a legion under Julius Caesar). This victory was understandably short lived and the entire Eburones tribe decimated, while the Tungri, more friendly to the Romans, took their place. The Roman camp grew into a sizeable settlement known as Atuatuca Tungrorum. Located on the important road linking Cologne to Bavay via the relay of Liberchies, and surrounded by the fertile lands of the Hesbaye region, the settlement quickly became one of the largest Gallo-Roman administrative and military towns in the 1st century. Atuatuca Tungrorum suffered through a destructive fire during the Batavian siege in 70. In the 2nd century, it erected its first defensive wall, portions of which can still be seen today. Typical Roman buildings were built in town, while villas and graves (tumuli) dotted the surrounding area. Soon after the 4th-century Germanic invasions, the city became the center of a Christian diocese – one of the earliest in the Low Countries – under the influence of Saint Servatius, bishop of Tongeren, then bishop of Maastricht.
The Merovingian period between the 5th and the 8th century is not well documented. The building of a new church and the foundation of a chapter of canons took place in Carolingian times, at the very place where the old bishops’ houses stood, and where the basilica still stands today. The construction of the current basilica started at the beginning of the 13th century in the prevalent Gothic style of that period. Other buildings were added to the religious core of the city, including new commercial areas, hospitals and artisans quarters. The 13th century also saw the building of the medieval defensive wall, several new churches and cloisters, and the beguinage. The city became one of the “bonnes villes” (or principal cities) of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.
In 1677, the city was nearly entirely burnt to the ground by Louis XIV’s troops, a catastrophe from which Tongeren never completely recovered. The rebirth of the city dates from after 1830. Today, Tongeren enjoys its great heritage from the past. It is also the judicial capital of the Limburg province.
