Tweet19-05-2010 om 12:03 by Amanda Potter

Over the boarder and a straight shot from Maastricht by bike or car is Tongeren, a Belgian town in the Flemish-speaking part of the country. It is a moderately-size, attractive city with loads of history and archaeological appeal. Considered the oldest city in Belgium, Tongeren was originally a Roman encampment within a Gaulish area that later became an administrative centre for the district under Roman rule. Today you can learn all about the region’s history through the Gallo Romeins Museum.



We originally visited this archaeological and historical museum a year ago on what just happened to be re-opening day. Since I’m an archaeology and Asterix comics lover, we had to see what it was all about.

The building is large and bright; monumental really, but despite the entry way seeming a little empty on opening day, the museum itself filled with interesting exhibits and displays. The first area is a quick introduction to prehistory using models of people living, working, and playing as you walk through the eras.  In the following section, time slows a bit, allowing the exhibit to delve deeply into Gaulish and Roman history. Visitors are then drawn through the remainder of the museum by subject, allowing for comparisons.



The Gallo Romeins Museum is very interactive. Throughout the exhibit many multimedia exhibits showed the expansion of technologies and peoples through Europe and some hands-on pieces let you feel the weight and shape of stone tools vs. metal ones. There are even a couple of docents dressed in period costumes to teach people about what life was like in this region during Roman rule. While they did not have one open during our visit, the museum hosts special exhibits on a regular basis.

The museum also has made an effort to be multilingual, with all multimedia exhibits available in Dutch, French, German, and English to some degree or another. This makes it more accessible to visitors. I really enjoyed our visit and I hope to return again some time to see what has changed and view their special exhibition. Although I don’t think I’ll take my bike next time. It may be downhill into the city, but it’s all uphill home.

First photo by Amanda. Second photo by vintagedept via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons.

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