SIMPELVELD – Veteran Julius – Living in the Roman valley – 3.8 and 9.6 km

Welcome to the walk through Roman Simpelveld. This municipality is rich in Roman-era discoveries, including four Roman villas, a coin hoard, the Sarcophagus of Simpelveld, and two Roman roads: the Via Belgica and the Via Traiana.

In 2003, an exceptionally rich Roman grave of a man was discovered in Bocholtz. This discovery inspired our Roman character, your guide during the walk. We gave this man the name Julius Genialis and imagined him as a cavalryman in the Roman army. After his military career, Julius settled in Bocholtz. The peace of rural life appealed to him, combined with the proximity of the towns of Coriovallum (Roman Heerlen) and Aqua Granni (Roman Aachen). These are arguments that still hold true today.

Of course, much has changed over the course of 2,000 years. Yet during the walk, you will discover many similarities, such as the rural landscape, arable farming, fruit cultivation, and the many streams. Heerlen and Aachen are still nearby — then and now.

We hope Julius will introduce you to the Roman past of some 2,000 years ago while at the same time allowing you to enjoy the beautiful surroundings!

Practical information:

• Starting point of the walking route? Hoeve Overhuizen, Overhuizerstraat 2, Bocholtz
• Distance? 3.8 and 9.6 km — you can also combine both routes
• Roman guide? Veteran Julius
• Walking junctions?

  Please note: this route combines German and Dutch walking junctions. We indicate this with a D and an N before the number. In addition, there is no signposting between junctions 61 and 12. Therefore, please use the GPS module in the app.

  Short route:
  N57-N99-N82-N68-N70-N97-N71-N90-N57

  Long route:
  N57-N90-N61-D12-N14-D55-D37-D38-D44-D35-D36-N96-N25-N79-N61-N90-N57

• Tips for your ideal audio walk:
  • Download the free VIA VIA/Via Belgica app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
  • Make sure you accept or enable app notifications.
  • In the app, go to Settings, select your preferred language and enable notifications.
  • Earphones or headphones will enhance your listening experience.
  • Make sure your phone is fully charged (tip: a power bank is always useful, especially if your battery is getting older).
  • Enable your location services and let the app’s GPS guide you.
  • At special locations, you will hear the sound of a Roman cornu, and a pop-up with additional information will appear in the app.

Credits: The audio walks were developed by public archaeologist Béatrice de Fraiture – BdF Producties.