Tongeren

Tongeren, municipality, Flanders Region, northeastern Belgium. It lies along the Geer (Jaar) River, northwest of Liège. Important in Roman times as Aduatuca Tungrorum, capital of the Germanic Tungri tribe, it was the centre of a revolt against Rome in 54 bc. Tongeren is the oldest city in Belgium and was the seat of a bishopric by the 4th century. In its stormy past it was sacked by the Salic Franks in the 4th century, by Attila in 451, by the Normans in 881, by the duke of Brabant in 1212, and by the French in 1677.

Tongeren is situated in the fertile Hesbaye region and is a market for fruit (apples, cherries, plums) and cattle. The city’s industries process food and manufacture fertilizer and agricultural machinery. Remnants of the Roman walls and the medieval defenses survive. The Church of Our Lady (1240) has Romanesque cloisters, and there is a béguinage (retreat for secular nuns); the béguinage is one of several in Belgium collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998. There are several old castles in the area, notably Ouden Biesen, Betho, and Hex. The town hall (1737) is an example of the style mosan, a regional style of metalwork that flourished in the Meuse River valley. Pop. (2008 est.) mun., 29,859.