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Category : Belgium
Tags: 12. SS Panzer Div (HJ), 16th Century, 17th Century, 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, 2. SS Panzer Div (DR), 21st December 1944, 29th Armoured Brigade (UK), 33rd Armoured Brigade (UK), 3rd Armored Division, 4th Cavalry Group (US), 51st Highland Division (UK), 53rd Welsh Infantry Division (UK), 560th Volksgrenadier Division, 5th Century, 6th Airborne Division (UK), 705th TDB (US), 75th Infantry Division (US), 84th Infantry Division (US), 8th Century, 9th Century, Aisne River, Amonines, Army Air Force, Bastogne, Beffe, Belgian Ardenne, Belgium, Belgæ, Bertogne, Bourdon, British 30th Corps, British Paratroopers, Bure, Celle, Cheoux, Clément Léonard, Concy Ridge, Cordwainers, Dean Geubel, Devantave, Dochamps, East Lancashire Regiment, Emperor Constantine II, Emperor Domitian, Erneuville, Favay, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, Forge à la Play, Frankish, Franks, French, Führer Begleit Brigade, Gaul, Gen Alexander R. Bolling, Gen Courtney H. Hodges, Gen Lawton J. Collins, Gen Maurice Rose, Gen von Waldenburg, Germanic, Grimbiemont, Haberdashers, Hampteau, Hez de Harzé, Highlanders, Hives, Hotton, Houffalize, Hubermont, Jemelle, La Roche, La Roche en Ardenne, Magoster, Manhay, Marche, Marcouray, Marcourt, Marenne, Mélines, Menil-Favay, Meuse River, Mierchamps, Nassogne, Neolithic, Nossogne, Oppidum, Ortheuville, Ortho, Ourthe River, Pepin of Herstal, Rendeux-Bas, Rensiwez Water Mill, Rochefort, Roman, Rome, Sadzot, Samree, Soy, Tanners, Task Force Hogan, Task Force Kane, Task Force Tucker, Tourism, Trinal, US 1st Army, US Artillery, Verdenne, VII Corps, Villez, Weavers, Wy
Let me tell you about this lovely little Belgian city called : La Roche. Nestling in a leafy setting on the banks of the Ourthe River, La Roche, the Jewel of the Ardenne, has a fascinating past, a wealth of history, legends, and even a ghost. We know the La Roche area was already inhabited in Neolithic times, 20 centuries before our own era. The ancient Belgæ built an oppidum (hill fort) on this rocky outcrop, where the castle now stands. In 57 BC, Ardenne like Gaul had to submit to the yoke of Rome. A fortlet was built to replace the oppidum. Excavations in La Roche have found coins dating from the time of Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96) and Constantine II (AD 337-340). Taking advantage of the decline of Rome, the Franks, a Germanic people, invaded our country in the 5th century. Under the Frankish occupation in the 8th century, Pepin of Herstal turned the Roman fort into a hunting lodge. The first castle was built in the 9th century and was at its peak between the 12th and 17th centuries. In the following century, faced with attacks from the French, the castle was turned into a fortress. After 1721, a slow decline set in. A proposal to restore it was made in 1744, but never came to anything. Abandoned and neglected, the castle fell into ruin. Excavation started here in 1995, projected to finish by the end of 1999. There is a project afoot with plans already drawn up for a partial reconstruction.
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