The area around the town of Wageningen was settled as early as the 9th century. Located on the north bank of the Nederrijn river, between the Gelderse valley and the Veluwe, a wooded, hilly, glacial moraine, by the 12th century it was part of the Duchy of Guelders, in the Holy Roman Empire. Wageningen received its city charter from Count Otto II on June 12, 1263. Today, it is in the province of Gelderland, in east-central Netherlands. Early settlements Roof tiles have been found near Wageningen with the stamp of the Roman legions. However, there is no evidence of a permanent Roman encampment on the north side of the Rhine river. The Roman settlement of Vada is now thought to have been near the village of Kessel, in North Brabant province, not Wageningen. The oldest known settlement near Wageningen prior to the establishment of the city is below the bluffs and near the Nederrijn on the eastern edge of the city; near what today is known as Diedenweg (meaning Volksweg; road of the people). At the beginning of the Middle Ages the settlement moved to higher ground, what today is known as Wageningse Berg (Wageningen hill). Remains of a fieldstone chapel and wooden farmhouses have been found in that area. Between about 350 and 900, a burial site was in use around what today is the corner of Diedenweg and Geertjesweg streets. Presumably the burials came from around Wageningen and Binnenveld. The hamlet, Dolder, lay in the vicinity of what today is the intersection of Van Uvenweg, Churchillweg and Dolderstraat. Thulere was mentioned in 838, as was Brakel (Bracola), today near the intersection of Julianastraat and Van Uvenweg. Port and fortified city In the 12th century a new, settlement came down from Wageningse Berg. A quay was constructed at the west edge of town, with an elevated road, the current Hoogstraat (High Street), connecting it to the base of the hill to the east. At that time, the city's first church also may haven been built. To the north of the High Street, a regular pattern of streets was established. On 12 June 1263, Wageningen was granted city rights by Count Otto II of the Duchy of Guelders. For the counts and dukes of Guelders, in addition to being a trading port, Wageningen was important as a stronghold against the Bishopric of Utrecht and later the Duchy of Burgundy. In