Via Belgica, the oldest Roman road in the Netherlands
Author: Harry Lindelauf
Photography:
The oldest Roman road in the Netherlands is also the one that remained in use the longest. That distinction is awarded to the Via Belgica in the new book The Roman Roads of the Netherlands.
Under the leadership of public historian Paul van der Heijden, ten specialists have combined their current knowledge in this beautiful and lavishly illustrated book. The publication is an updated version of the book that appeared under the same title in 2016 and has since sold out.
The chapter on the Via Belgica was written by Karen Jeneson, curator of the Roman Museum in Heerlen, formerly the Thermenmuseum. According to her, the “oldest highway in the Netherlands” played an important role in the incorporation of the Low Countries into the Roman Empire. Along this mainly gravel route, the legions moved in an orderly fashion and at a speed that had until then been unknown in the region. After the military phase, the Via Belgica became the transport route along which food was transported to the soldiers in the frontier forts along the Rhine.
Mysterious buildings
Much is now known about the route of the Roman connection between Cologne in the east and Boulogne-sur-Mer in the west. Yet mysteries remain. For example, along which route did the road run between Voerendaal and Valkenburg? Via Walem and the Goudsberg, or along the Strabeek and the mysterious Roman buildings in the Ravensbos? Even the use of digital elevation maps and special software by Karen Jeneson and Paul Verhagen has not (yet) provided the answer. As the book shows, we now know a great deal, but the Via Belgica still keeps some of its cards close to its chest.
Roman Roads in the Netherlands. An Up-to-Date Overview. Matrijs Publishing, ISBN 978 90 5345 636 2. 19.95 euros.
