With the youth route, you cycle through Roman heritage while solving puzzles.
Author: Harry Lindelauf
Photography: Anja Neskens
Fittingly, it was the youth who opened the first Via Belgica youth route on Friday, 7 April 2023. Pupils from Stella Maris College in Meerssen cycled and solved puzzles along the way, traveling from the replica milestone in Houthem-Sint Gerlach back to their home base.
Roman heritage is made appealing to young people aged 12 to 14 with the recipe of “doing & thinking.” The full route runs from Schin op Geul via Valkenburg (13.5 kilometers) to Meerssen. Participants can choose to complete it on foot or by bike. Along the way, the route always passes places directly or indirectly connected to the legacy of more than four centuries of Roman rule in South Limburg.
“It has to be a challenge”
Cycling or walking forms the “doing” ingredient, while the second ingredient, “thinking,” consists of a series of puzzle assignments. The route was developed by Kris Förster of KF inHeritage. “I took my son, who is now 16, as a starting point. You work backwards from the question of what he found interesting when he was 12. Then you look for ideas that offer something for everyone: questions from chemistry, math problems, a rebus, and even a question in Latin. It has to be a challenge, not too easy. I believe you should have to put in a bit of effort.”
The good things newcomers bring
With the treasure hunt, the municipalities of Meerssen and Valkenburg, together with the Via Belgica project, aim to spark interest in the local Roman heritage. And that is important, as alderman Kevin Rouwette noted at the launch: “With the arrival of the Romans, the development of South Limburg really began.”
At the request of Valkenburg and Meerssen, a second objective has also been incorporated into the treasure hunt: to highlight the importance of migration for a region, and all the good things that newcomers bring with them.
Fermented fish
The cycling and puzzle-solving students of Stella Maris could literally taste those good things. With every puzzle successfully solved, they received from the seeress Fatidita (Elly Smit) ingredients once introduced by the Romans, such as garum (the fermented fish sauce), garlic, and olive oil. In the cooking classroom of Stella Maris, the pupils worked together in groups of five to prepare moretum, a spicy spread eaten on spelt bread (another Roman import).
The pupils had already been prepared during their history lessons. After the bike tour, Isa was impressed: “It’s really interesting that those people lived here, just like we do now.”
For more information, visit www.viabelgica.eu or download the Via Belgica app.
Discover more via TV-Valkenburg:https://www.facebook.com/100063704734292/posts/665211218945697/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
