The Flemish Government has decided to protect the remains of a Carolingian fortress (photo, above) in Lanaken (Limburg Province) by temporarily granting them the status of archaeological site. The fortress was a Roman-style fortress that controlled one of the access routes to the River Maas and the city of Maastricht in the early Middle Ages. Pending the results of a public enquiry, the Flemish Government will decide whether the site’s protected status will become permanent.
The remains of the Carolingian fortress were discovered in 2017 during a large-scale archaeological dig that was carried in preparation for work to extract a large quantity of silt over an area of 30 hectares, very close to the Dutch border. Then only the edge of the fortress was dug up. Much of the site has not yet been excavated.
The remains are that of a fortress which controlled the access route to the River Maas and the city of Maastricht at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The site also represents the first military encampment from this period to have been discovered in Flanders.
The fortress possibly dates from the reign of Frankish leader Charles Martel (688 – 741). Its position along a rural Roman road that leads to Maastricht.
The remains of the fortress have been particularly well preserved and are unique in Flanders. By granting the site temporary protection the Flemish Government aims to prevent the remains from being destroyed. The Flemish Heritage Minister Matthias Diependaele (nationalist) with await the results of a public enquiry before deciding whether the fortress should be granted permanent protection as a site of archeological interest.