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Tongeren is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeast corner of Belgium's Flemish area. Tongeren is Belgium's oldest town and the only Roman administrative capital inside its borders. It was inhabited by the Tungri as a Roman city, and known as Atuatuca Tungrorum, it served as the administrative center of the Civitas Tungrorum region.

The main attractions

The Béguinage, which was founded in 1257, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. Its enclosing wall was demolished in the eighteenth century: it divided the beguinage from the rest of the city, ensuring peace and quiet for the tiny religiously motivated population. The beguinage had 300 beguines in the seventeenth century and was able to withstand the 1677 fire that devastated much of the city.

The Tongeren Basilica (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Basiliek), constructed in the thirteenth century in Gothic architecture, has provided some of the greatest archaeological findings in Flanders. Archaeological investigations have shown the presence of an edifice here dating back to the fourth century, as well as a Carolingian prayer house in the ninth century. The current basilica's choir was built beginning around 1240. Between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, the nave, transepts, and side chapels were constructed. From 1442 to 1541, the old Romanesque tower was replaced by the current 64-metre-tall (210-foot) Gothic tower. The inside of the basilica houses the figure of Our Lady of Tongeren, which was built in 1475. The treasury is situated in the old hall of the Chapter and has one of Belgium's most valuable collections of religious art.

St. Catherine's Church, constructed in Gothic style in 1294 but afterwards renovated in other styles. The 1711 pulpit by Robrecht Verburgh, the main altarpiece by Gaspar de Crayer (17th century), and a sculpture of the "Suffering Christ" given by the beguine Anna de Floz are among the works of art.

The Gallo-Roman Museum includes Celtic gold, Roman glassware, Merovingian filigree work, and an unique Gallo-Roman item discovered during excavations, a Roman dodecahedron.

The ancient Roman wall, dated from the second century, can still be seen for almost 1,500 meters (4,900 feet).