N’ åyîz’ nole sogne èt passez l’ grile, Roteûre èst ‘ne pitite cwène trankile.
Don’t be afraid and feel free to step through the gate; Roture is a small, quiet corner.
Contrary to what the name might suggest, the Roture does not owe its name to the roturiers but is said to originate from Old French and mean ‘road’. While the street does have an official name, it also goes by various informal names, such as ‘place Gabriel’ or ‘cage aux lions’, a name referring to the gates placed at the beginning of the street. These gates were not erected to ‘lock up’ the residents – although Prince-Bishop Maximilian-Henry of Bavaria had a small fort built on the Pont des Arches in the 17th century to separate Outremeuse from the rest of the city – but to protect the children by preventing them from running onto the main street while playing