Church St Martens Voeren

SINT-MARTENS-VOEREN
The village is dominated by the 23 m high railway bridge. It is part of the Tongeren-Aachen line built by the Germans during the First World War. This viaduct connects to the longest railway tunnel in Flanders (2070 m). The longest railway bridge in the country, in Moresnet, is also part of this line.

The church tower of the St. Martin's Church originally dates from the 13th century. On the left below the tower is the grave of Pastor Veltmans. (1866 – 1954) He played an important role in maintaining the Dutch-speaking character of the Voer region. Among the old grave crosses in the cemetery is one from the 16th century. It stands behind the graves of the crew of an RAF aircraft (crashed in 1944).

A little further is the Veltmanshuis – named after pastor Veltmans, a former chapter house from the first half of the 18th century. Until 1971 it served as a rectory. Now it is a Cultural Centre of the Flemish Community.

Nowhere in Flanders is the concentration of buildings built entirely or partly in silex (flint) as large as in the two central Voer villages, Sint-Martens- and Sint-Pieters-Voeren. Especially in the hamlet of Veurs, the old half-timbered houses typical of this region have been preserved.
Most of these houses date from the 18th or early 19th century.

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