- Aardenburg
Aardenburg is a small city (population as of 2008: 2,438) close to the Dutch border with
Belgium . It is part of theSluis Municipality, located in the province ofZeeland in theNetherlands . Its medieval name was Rodenburgh (Red Castle).In the Sint-Baafskerk, ("Saint
Bavo 's Church), Aardenburg houses the most complete example of the "Scheldegotiek", the characteristicGothic architecture of theScheldt . It is also still possible today to see remains of some of the fortifications that used to enclose the city.History
Archeologists have found proof of settlement as early as
4500 BC . The site was a small Roman "vicus ", flourishing in the second and third centuries AD, where the foundations have been uncovered of a small Celto-Roman temple. After theSecond World War restorations to damaged buildings uncovered fragments of Roman rooftiles, of which some bear the markings of a Roman military post, as well as black vases and Roman sandals. The most significant find, however, was that of a Roman building with a foundation of 18 by 10 meters. The RomanCastellum was in use from 175 to 270 AD [The latest coin is of ca 273 AD ("Princeton Encyclopedia")] .On top of the foundations of this Roman building there were the remains of a
Medieval building, which was destroyed in 1383 according to later accounts.Rodenburgh was granted city rights in1127 and is thus one of the oldest cities inthe Netherlands and is the oldest city in Zealand.Until
July 1 ,1966 , Aardenburg was a separate municipality. UntilJanuary 1 ,2003 , it was then in the municipality ofSluis-Aardenburg . In2003 Sluis-Aardenburg and nearbyOostburg were combined into an enlargedSluis municipality.Notes
External links
* [http://www.aardenburg-cultuurstad.nl/ Aardenburg Cultuurstad (Aardenburg City of Culture)] (in Dutch)
* [http://www.ngw.nl/a/aardenbu.htm Web page about the city's coat of arms] (in Dutch)
* [http://icarus.umkc.edu/sandbox/perseus/pecs/page.1.a.php Richard Stillwell, ed. "Princeton Encyclopaedia of Classical =Sites", 1976:] Aardenburg
* [http://www.kuijsten.de/atlas/ze/aardenburg.html Map of the municipality in 1868]
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