{"id":20846,"date":"2026-04-07T20:48:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/?post_type=plek&#038;p=20846"},"modified":"2026-04-07T20:48:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:48:53","slug":"tongeren-a-milestone","status":"publish","type":"plek","link":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/plek\/tongeren-a-milestone\/","title":{"rendered":"Tongeren: a Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"template":"","plek_types":[79,82],"class_list":["post-20846","plek","type-plek","status-publish","hentry","plek_types-archaeological-site","plek_types-education"],"acf":{"tekstkleur":false,"nummer":526,"kleur":"#000000","adres":{"address":"Sint-Truiderstraat 62, Tongeren-Borgloon, Belgi\u00eb","lat":50.7798986,"lng":5.4606167,"zoom":14,"place_id":"ChIJd6-UebXjwEcRHDStWmOzp7Y","name":"Sint-Truiderstraat 62","street_number":62,"street_name":"Sint-Truiderstraat","city":"Tongeren-Borgloon","state":"Vlaanderen","state_short":"LI","post_code":3700,"country":"Belgi\u00eb","country_short":"BE"},"straatnaam":"Sint-Truiderstraat 62","postcode":"3700","plaats":"Tongeren-Borgloon","website":"Website of Tongeren","website_url":"http:\/\/www.tongeren.be\/","hotspot_naam":"Place of interest: a Roman milestone in Tongeren","afbeelding":20838,"contactpersonen":"","email":"","telefoon":"","videobox_contentblok":"","content":"Tongeren \u2014 the first and oldest city in Belgium. Founded by the Romans around 10 BC, it was burned down by the Batavians half a century later, only to rise again, proudly rebuilt. Tongeren became the illustrious capital of the civitas Tungrorum, the administrative district of the region, where the Mediterranean influence of Rome was undeniable: a flourishing villa landscape, a magnificent aqueduct, grand temples and bathhouses, and markets brimming with exotic goods.\r\n\r\nEven today, the Romans are never far away in Tongeren-Borgloon. Most hotspots are just minutes apart. Along your journey, you can find a modern replica of part of a Roman itinerarium, a sort of signpost, in the Sint-Truiderstraat. It was rediscovered at this location in 1817.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h3>A\u2026 Milestone?<\/h3>\r\nThe small monument refers to the role of Atuatuca Tungrorum, modern-day Tongeren, as a hub in the road network of the civitas Tungrorum. The Roman city lay at the crossroads of several main routes going in all directions.\r\n\r\nThe monument is often called the \u201cmilestone,\u201d but this is not correct. Milestones (milliaria) were cylindrical columns of hard stone erected at regular intervals\u2014usually every Roman mile of about 1.48 meter\u2014along the roads. Their primary purpose was to indicate distances. At important points along roads, however, there was not only a milestone but also an itinerarium, comparable to our modern-day signposts. These listed major cities and the distances to them.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h3>An Immersive Change to the Roman Walk, 2027<\/h3>\r\nThe story of Tongeren doesn\u2019t end here. In 2027, the Roman city walk of Tongeren will receive a multidimensional upgrade as part of the VIAVIA project. The Roman hotspots on it will be enhanced with reconstructions and immersive storytelling. You will get an even clearer sense of the Roman road and the Roman city of Tongeren, and you will also be invited to visit the aqueduct, the Plinius springs, the Gallo-Roman temple, and other local sites. Through an app, you will see what the streets of Atuatuca Tungrorum looked like in the second century. Your guide? An AI character from the glory days of Roman Tongeren.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAre you ready for a stroll through the past?\r\n<h3>\"We cross a modern aqueduct and reach the edge of the city. Atuatuca Tungrorum. I have dreamed of visiting the only city in the region for so long. It does not disappoint. So many colours and scents. So many sounds. Barking dogs, shouting people, the rattling carts of traders like us. The streets overflow with delights. The finest fabrics. Exotic fruits and woods. Bottles and flasks. Oil from the south. Meat, bread, and perfumes. Two women argue loudly in a language I do not understand. Men in open doorways beckon passers-by inside. The sweet aroma of a bathhouse mingles with the stench of boiling animal bones for glue. I am ecstatic and despondent at the same time. For how can we sell our wares in this place? Here, in this city that already has everything?\" - Ammulva Iucunda<\/h3>","slideshow":[20842],"ontdekken_video_box":{"ontdekken_video_titel":"","ontdekken_video_paragraaf":"","ontdekken_video_iframe":""},"ontdekken_360_box":{"ontdekken_360_titel":"","ontdekken_360_paragraaf":"","ontdekken_360_iframe":""},"doen":null,"weten":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plek\/20846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plek"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/plek"}],"acf:attachment":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"plek_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.viabelgica.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plek_types?post=20846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}