A tour through the history around Tongeren

Explore a picturesque part of Belgium and cycle through the area around Tongeren. Tongeren started out as a Gallo-Roman civilian settlement in 15 BC. In the following centuries, the city began to play an increasingly important role in the history of the Low Countries. Tongeren obtained market rights in the second century and a seat of the first diocese in the third century. From the second half of the twentieth century, Tongeren has been developed as a tourist attraction and the city also occupies a prominent place in the region as a trade center.

Chateau de Hex

You cycle north to Chateau de Hex. Particularly special is the adjacent park, which is one of the first designed gardens on the continent. The park is virtually still in its original state and has exactly the same appearance as it did 300 years ago. The castle has a romantic rose garden with the most diverse varieties.

The Trappistine Abbey Marienhof

The Trappistine Abbey Marienhof was originally a Crosier monastery, but in the last two centuries it functioned as a monastery for the Cistercian order. The abbey was founded at the beginning of the fifteenth century. Part of the abbey is still in use by the Cistercian. The Baroque chapel and sacristy can be visited under a guided tour. In the stables you will find a museum about the Haspengouw fruit region. Some of the service buildings are privately occupied.

The Ruttermolen

About ten kilometers further you come to the water wheel mill, also called the Rutter mill. The mill and its surroundings have been officially protected as a monument and village sight since 1984. The water wheel mill was built around 1360. It is an undershot water mill that was used for grinding corn. The current mill complex was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. The mill is now used as a home and guesthouse.