Rutten (French: ''Russon'') is a village in the

Tongeren Tongeren (; french: Tongres ; german: Tongern ; li, Tóngere ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the onl ...

municipality of the

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

province in the Flemish Community of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The village is located in the

Haspengouw The Hesbaye (French, ), or Haspengouw (Dutch and Limburgish, ) is a traditional cultural and geophysical region in eastern Belgium. It is a loamy plateau region which forms a watershed between the Meuse and Scheldt drainage basins. It has been o ...

region, and was a separate municipality until its merger into Tongeren in 1977.

History

The village was mentioned as Riuti in 1065. The area had been inhabited since prehistory, and two

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

and several Roman villas have been discovered. In 1408, the

Battle of Othée The Battle of Othée was fought between the citizens of Liège and a professional army under command of John the Fearless on 23 September 1408. The militia of Liège suffered a heavy defeat. Cause In 1390, John of Bavaria, youngest son of Duke ...

between the Prince-Bishop of Liège and the citizens of Liège, took place near the village. After the conquest of

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

in 1632 by the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

, Rutten was one of the '' redemptiedorpen'' (redemptive villages) who remained independent by paying taxes to both the Dutch Republic and the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...

. In 1785, the village officially became part of the Netherlands by the Treaty of Fontainebleau. In 1843, the right bank of the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

became Belgian Limburg by the

Treaty of Maastricht The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the pr ...

, and from then on Rutten was a Belgian village. In 1977, the municipality of Rutten merged into Tongeren.

Sights

The Hamal Castle is located near Rutten, and was home to the lord of the village. The castle was first mentioned in 1214. The current castle dates from the late 18th century. The Holy Cottage (Dutch: Heilig Huisje) is located on a hill near Rutten with a view on the village and the Basilica of Tongeren. It is a chapel dedicated to the Battle of Othée, and dates back to the 15th century. The current chapel dates from the 18th century. Rutten's townscape is protected by the Flemish regional government.

Events

On 1 May the Saint Evermarus Festivities are held. The festivities remember the murder of the pilgrim in 968 by the knight Hacco in Rutten. First there is a procession followed by a re-enactment of the murder in which the audience is supposed to play along.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline Former municipalities of Limburg (Belgium) Tongeren Populated places in Limburg (Belgium)