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Weißenburg

  • Ellinger Gate
    © Stadt Weißenburg i. Bay. Fotograf Dietmar Denger

  • Hohenzollernfestung Wülzburg
    © Stadt Weißenburg i.Bay. Fotograf Dietmar Denger

  • Northern Gate Roman Fort Biriciana
    © Stadt Weißenburg i.Bay. Fotograf Dietmar Denger

  • RömerMuseum
    © Stadt Weißenburg i.Bay. Fotograf Dietmar Denger

  • Roman Baths
    © Stadt Weißenburg i.Bay. Fotograf Dietmar Denger

Weißenburg in Bayern

The former Roman and Free Imperial City is located on the edge of the southern Franconian Jura. Both the archaeological finds of the Roman past and the historic old town with its well-preserved city walls are popular destinations. In addition, Weißenburg offers a wide range of cultural and leisure activities: Festival summer on the open-air stage "BergWaldTheater"; Wide range of guided tours (Romans, Middle Ages, Wülzburg, Stadtwald).

Sights

Roman Museum with 114-piece treasure trove, Biriciana fort with reconstructed northern gate, Roman thermal baths; Imperial City, Pharmacy and Brewery Museum; historic old town with Ellinger Gate, Gothic Town Hall, St. Andreas Church with treasury and picturesque lake pond area; Hohenzollern Fortress Wülzburg.

Fort Biriciana with reconstructed Northern Gate

The Biriciana military camp was built around 90 AD on a high terrace of the Swabian Rezat. The 500 soldier strong cavalry unit ala I Hispanorum auriana is considered to be the regular occupation. In the middle of the 2nd century AD, the wood-soil fort was rebuilt in stone. The foundation walls of this phase are now marked in a modern way on the undeveloped fort site and convey the dimensions of the former fort.
The almost square camp occupies an area of 3.1 ha. The camp wall with many towers and four gates was lined with an inner earth wall and three outer defensive ditches. The two-story north gate was rebuilt in 1990 according to the scientific standards of the time. The stone buildings inside the fort correspond to the typical structure of Roman military camps. In the center was the staff building, the principia, with the camp sanctuary, the large basilica and administrative rooms. To the east, a storage building and the camp commandant's residence have been identified.
The function of other stone buildings to the west of the principia is still being discussed in archaeological research. The soldiers' wooden shelters were proven geophysically, but are not visible above ground.
Biriciana was probably destroyed during the great Germanic invasion of AD 253/254. Horizons of destruction speak for the subsequent abandonment of the camp and the associated vicus. The famous "Weissenburg treasure trove" also probably stems from the unrest of that time.

Address:
Am Römerlager, 91781 Weißenburg i. Bay
Opening times: accessible all year round
Entrance fees: free
Contact: +49 (0) 91 41/907-186, www.museen-weissenburg.de 

Traces of the vicus, the settlement belonging to the fort, are still preserved in Weißenburg to the southwest of the military camp. Three wells, the basement of a stone building and the floor plan of a typical strip house have been integrated into the modern development in situ. Many finds from the vicus area are exhibited in the Roman Museum and give an impression of civilian life in the military environment of the fort. Veterans, innkeepers, merchants, craftsmen and unofficial wives and families of the soldiers settled here and supplied the military camp with everyday and luxury items.

Address:
near the Roman thermal baths, 91781 Weißenburg i. Bay
Opening times: accessible all year round
Entrance fees: free
Contact: +49 (0) 91 41/907-186, www.museen-weissenburg.de

A Roman spa as a museum

The Roman thermal baths, discovered by chance in 1977 and subsequently archaeologically examined, are currently considered to be the largest known thermal baths in southern Germany. The building's scientific importance is not only due to its dimensions and the finds that are on display in the RömerMuseum today, but also due to the comparatively easy-to-understand demarcation of different building phases.
The thermal baths were probably used equally by the camp and vicus residents. The fine interior design and the gradual expansion of the complex to its most impressive extent of 60 m in length are evidence of the thriving life in Biriciana. At the same time, conclusions about historical events can be drawn from layers of destruction.
It is still unclear exactly when the use of the thermal baths was abandoned. Connections with warlike incidents are considered probable. The great Germanic invasion of 253/254 AD, which is also seen as the context of the destruction of the fort, is particularly obvious.
The Roman thermal baths have been accessible to visitors in a protective structure since 1985. Information boards, an interactive model of the thermal baths and short films in the media room and the reception building show how the ruins of the thermal baths looked in their former glory.

Address: Am Römerbad 17a, 91781 Weißenburg i. Bay
Opening times: March 15 - December 15 Nov: 10am-5pm; Closed: November 16 - March 14 Admission: regular €4, reduced €2.50, family €8. Museum ticket: regular €10, reduced €6, family €19. Season ticket: regular €25, reduced €15.
Contact: +49 (0) 91 41/907-127, www.museen-weissenburg.de

Limes between Weißenburg and Burgsalach

The most impressive Limes section in Bavaria is located north of Oberhochstatt (south of WP 14/40). The Limes, the so-called “Teufelsmauer”, runs through the landscape over a distance of several kilometres in the form of a dam and in a perfectly straight line and is clearly marked by a hedge (“Pfahlhecke”).

Roman museum

 

The RömerMuseum combines finds from the fort, the thermal baths and the region. The branch museum of the Munich State Archaeological Collection was redesigned and reopened in 2017. The tour takes you step by step through ancient life on the Limes. As a military site, Biriciana was strongly influenced by the presence of Roman soldiers. At the same time, a large number of finds document the flourishing civil life in the camp village and the surrounding area. Material evidence of the cultural exchange between Romans and Germans north of the imperial border is just as exciting as the everyday and luxury items made by craftsmen, women and children in the vicinity of the fort.

The highlight of the exhibition is the outstanding "Weissenburg treasure trove", which was probably deposited in the middle of the 3rd century AD near the Roman thermal baths in the course of the destructive Germanic invasions. The ensemble of 114 finds is one of the largest of its kind in southern Germany. The 15 bronze statuettes of gods and the eleven silver votive plates are particularly impressive due to their outstanding quality. There are also metal utensils such as pots, tools and an iron folding chair.

Address: Martin-Luther-Platz 3-5, 91781 Weißenburg i. Bay
Entrance fees: regular €6, reduced €4, family €12. Museum ticket: regular €10, reduced €6, family €19. Season ticket: regular €25, reduced €15.

Contact: +49 (0) 91 41/907-124, www.museen-weissenburg.de

The Bavarian Limes Information Center is the central contact point for questions about the UNESCO World Heritage Limes. Interactive stations, multimedia offers and information brochures invite you to explore the Upper German-Raetian Limes independently.

Address: Martin-Luther-Platz 3-5, 91781 Weißenburg i. Bay
Entrance fees: free.
Contact: 09141 907-124, www.museen-weissenburg.de

The RömerMuseum and the Bavarian Limes Information Center are barrier-free.

 

Info

Museen Weißenburg
Martin-Luther-Platz 3-5
91781 Weißenburg i. Bay.

Tel.: +49 (0)9141 – 907 189
Fax: +49 (0)9141 – 907 121 

Opening hours
Closed January - 15th March
15th March - 15th November: daily, 10:00-17:00
16th November - 30th December: daily, 10:00-12:30, 14:00-17:00
Closed on 24th-26th December and New Year's Eve
www.museen-weissenburg.de  

Tourist-Info
in the Roman Museum
Martin-Luther-Platz 3
91781 Weißenburg i. Bay.

Tel.: +49 (0) 91 41 – 907 124
Fax: +49 (0) 91 41 – 907 121

tourist@weissenburg.de 
www.weissenburg.de 

Accommodation

 

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