Dive into history
Author: Gemeente Maastricht
Photography: Gemeente Maastricht
This coming Saturday, five divers from Mergor in Mosam will investigate the remains of the Roman bridge. Between 10:00 and 16:00 you can see them near the rondeel on the Maasboulevard (in line with the Eksterstraat). Mergor in Mosam is a foundation for amateur underwater archaeologists and the diving operation is carried out under the direction of the Municipality of Maastricht.
National Heritage Site
Since September 2017, the remains of the Roman bridge on the bottom of the River Meuse have been an archaeological National Heritage Site. To monitor the condition of the monument, they dive at least once every year. They check whether erosion is occurring at the monument and whether the situation is changing.
The Roman bridge of Maastricht is the cradle of the city: without a bridge Maastricht would never have been founded in Roman times. The military units travelling from Gaul to the imperial border on the Rhine encountered the Meuse here as an obstacle. At that time, the Meuse was wider, less deep and had gravel islands. In summer, it was probably fairly easy to cross the river. In winter, it was often a swirling mass of water. In any case, it was certainly not pleasant for Roman soldiers, carrying around 30 kilos of equipment, to have to wade through water. The bridge was therefore of great strategic importance and was probably built by the Romans a few decades after the beginning of our era.
Report
The results of the diving operation will be presented in a report and form the basis for possible new policy measures for the preservation of the bridge remains. These measures will be drawn up by the municipality in consultation with Rijkswaterstaat and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.
