Roman watchtower Heumensoord - Malden

his discovery in the Heumensoord takes us back to Roman times, when this place played a crucial role in the defence of the Roman Empire. A guard post was established here between the 3rd and 4th centuries, strategically located along the road from Nijmegen to Maastricht.

The River Region flourished with the arrival of the Romans, who built roads, aqueducts, villas and even cities such as Noviomagus, today's Nijmegen. A unique blend of Roman and Batavian culture emerged.

From the 3rd century onwards, the empire faced increasing threats from intrusive Frankish peoples on its borders. With this, the need for defence also grew. The guard post in Heumensoord served as a link in a chain of posts. With torches and flags, they could quickly transmit signals to the next guard post and other Roman troops could quickly come to the rescue if somewhere was under attack.

The post consisted of a wooden structure and watchtower. The moats that surrounded the site have been made visible again in the landscape. The post was set on fire in the 4th century, after which a smaller one was built.

Photo for illustration.