Defence line de Landgraaf

The municipality of Landgraaf owes its name to 'the Landgrave', an ancient line of defence that can still be seen as a hollow road in the landscape at a number of points. Coming from the Brunsummerheide, the earthwork extends towards Nieuwenhagen, where it disappears near the Kleikoeleweg. In the past, the Landgrave ran from here all the way to the marshes northeast of Schinveld. Now he lives on in the street name 'Oude Landgraaf'. In the past, the Landgrave was sometimes given a very high age.

The earthwork would have served as a prehistoric line of defence or as a wall for the nearby Iron Age urn fields. However, recent archaeological research has shown that the landgrave most likely dates from the second half of the 14th century. The Landgrave is then located on the edge of the Land of Valkenburg. When Jan van Valkenburg died in 1352 without a successor, this important territory came into the hands of the Duke of Brabant. He probably built the Landgrave against the aggression of his archenemies, the Dukes of Guelders and Gulik.

Thanks to archaeological research, we know that the Landgrave in its functional years consists of a pointed moat, with an average depth of 2.2 meters and a width of 6.4 meters. With the moved soil, embankments have been erected on both sides of the ditch, so that the total width covers about 20 to 22 meters. On top of the ramparts, impenetrable hedges of thorn-bearing shrubs have been planted and intertwined. Attempts to get through may be discouraged by stumbling holes and other obstacles.

On higher ground there are watchtowers, from which the entire area can be seen. In this way, in the event of danger, the alarm can be raised in time with fire signals. It is possible that the Lichtenberg neighbourhood, located on a height, still owes its name to such a tower. The system enables local rulers to mobilize their troops against the attackers in time. For the local population, the Landgrave is also an ideal cattle barrier and protection against roving bands of robbers and predators.

In later centuries, the Landgrave lost its function. Nature is given free rein, the ramparts erode and the digging ditch is filled in. The Landgrave is now used as a hollow road and people forget by whom and when it was built. Frans Erens (1857-1935), the well-known writer from Schaesberg, says that in his youth it was still believed that Napoleon had dug the Landgrave. Erens liked to let himself be rolled down the slopes. He deeply regrets the fact that landowners later levelled large parts of the landgrave.

In the course of the 20th century, even more pieces of landgrave disappeared due to mining, sand excavation and housing construction. Yet the Landgrave is not forgotten. On 14 December 1980, the cooperating SUN municipalities of Schaesberg, Ubach over Worms and Nieuwenhagen even decided to name the newly established municipality of Landgraaf after the earthwork. In this way, an age-old symbol of border demarcation has become a symbol of unity and connection.

Tourist Board South Limburg (Visit Zuid-Limburg)