Pliniusbron - Tongeren, Belgium - Artesian Well on Waymarking.com

"The Pliny Fountain or Pliny Fountain is a well, named after Pliny the Elder. This Roman encyclopedist mentioned in his Natural History (31.12) a water source in the area of the Tungri, a tribe in Gallia Belgica:

"At the Tungri there is a remarkable spring that tingles with many water bubbles and tastes of rust, which one only becomes aware of after drinking. The water cleanses the body and cures the third-day fever and the pain of kidney stones."

Since the sixteenth century, this source has been equated with an iron source near Tongeren. This is located about two kilometers north of the city, in the direction of Hasselt in the Plinius Park. The water is ferruginous and was also described as curative in medieval writings: "those who suffered from a daghse kortse, the gravel, bleed cavities or other quaelen" sought liberation from their ailments. The water was put in jars and sent everywhere with the city seal. The well became so famous that both the French King Louis XV and Napoleon came to quench their thirst but then fell into oblivion."
Source: (visit link)

In this document (visit link) it is mentioned on page 32 and 33 that during several digging activities the workers accidentally hit the artesian well.

NL:
" Omdat het grondwater zich hier zeer
dicht onder het oppervlak bevindt (getuige de tijdens de graafwerkzaamheden toevallig geraakte artesische natuurlijke bron), bestaat het vermoeden dat de depressie regelmatig met relatief vers grondwater moet zijn gevoed."

EN:
"Because the groundwater is very close to the surface (witness the accidentally hit during the excavation artesian natural source), it is suspected that the depression regularly occurs with relatively fresh groundwater must be fed."

Vote:

Visit Instructions:
• Include a photo of the Artesian Well.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.