Tuesday, July 04, 2006


Maastricht's history began when the Romans built a settlement called Mosae Trajectum near a ford across the Meuse River around 50 BC. Gallo-Roman baths and turrets from the 3rd century have been excavated in the small square Op de Thermen. Eliot and I walked along the colored flagstones indicating the location of the old baths. The boys stand within an arch at the first medieval wall bult in 1229. Jim and the boys walk across the top of this fortification. The Helpoort is the oldest city gate in the Netherlands, dating back to the 13th century. It is shown here with Jeker Tower. It's hard to imagine how old these really are and also what the city looked like during the 1200s through 1867 (when it gave up its fortified city status) when the wall was so important for protection. Yet, the city has grown all around them and even incorprated them into today's life. There were houses along the wall we walked on top of. Buildings just butt up to the old fortifications. On the Lang Grachtje, we walked along another section of the first wall (1229). Here we saw the door for a cave-like house built directly into the wall.

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