Rolduc

In 1104, a young priest by the name of Ailbertus of Antoing founded an Augustinian abbey in the Land of Rode, near the river Wurm.

The abbey was called Kloosterrade, which later became 's-Hertogenrade (French: Rode-le-Duc or Rolduc), after the ducal castle that was built across the Wurm.

Materialistically, the abbey began to prosper again in the late 17th century when revenue was generated from the exploitation of coal mines.

In 1815, when the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed (see Vienna Congress), the border was drawn through the ancient land of Rode, separating the abbey from the castle.

Many influential Dutch Roman Catholics (e.g. the writer Lodewijk van Deyssel and the social reformer Alphons Ariëns [nl]) were educated at Rolduc.

In 1853, the young architect Pierre Cuypers was commissioned to restore the crypt and to reinstate as much as possible the original Romanesque fabric.

In the immediate vicinity, noteworthy are a small grove with ponds, the valley of the Vrouwezijp, and several old avenues (including the Chemin d'Abbaye).