How to visit the Danube Limes

The ancient Porta Praetoria, the remaining Roman wall from AD 179, alongside the Wiedfangbrunnen Well in the Old Town Alstadt district of Regensburg, Germany © Kirk Fisher/Shutterstock
Where can you visit the Danube Limes?

If your attention is piqued, here’s how to work the Danube Limes into your next European itinerary. 

Regensburg, Bavaria

Porta Praetoria in Regensburg, Bavaria features an arched gateway built in 179 CE by Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It served as an entrance to the Castra Regina, a military station facing the confluences of the Regen, Naab and Danube Rivers.

Lower Austria

Located halfway between Vienna and Bratislava in Lower Austria are the remains of Carnuntum, the former capital of Upper Pannonia province. The ruins date to 50 CE, and once covered an area of 10km that was home to around 50,000 people. Sites to see at the Carnuntum Archaeological Park include the Roman city quarter, two amphitheaters, the School of Gladiators, a monument called Heidentor (or “Heathens Gate”), thermal baths and a museum housing a wide variety of artifacts attesting to the “luxurious life in ancient Carnuntum.” 

Roman Ruins at Schonbrunn Palace Gardens © Diego Grandi/Shutterstock
Vienna, Austria

Vienna’s Römer Museum showcases the ruins of Vindobona, the massive Roman military camp, first established in 97 CE, that would eventually become the city of Vienna. Today, you can see the remains of Roman walls, ruins of houses, plus hundreds of objects including toys, pottery, statues and even a plaque from the emperor granting municipal rights. Other Roman ruins can be seen on a walking tour around Vienna, including stones that were once part of Roman baths and, at Michaelerplatz Square, remnants of ancient dwellings. Other Roman antiquities are on display at the peerless Kunsthistorisches Museum. 

Enns, Austria

The Roman legionary camp of Lauriacum in Noricum province was built at the end of the second century CE. The museum dedicated to the site, in modern-day Enns, is home to over 1200 archaeological artifacts, plus reconstructions and media stations. 

Devin Castle, part of Bratislava’s City Museum, has preserved Roman structures as well as great views of the city © Maksim Budnikov/Shutterstock
Bratislava, Slovakia

The Gerulata military encampment, built in the second century CE, was part of Pannonia province – and abandoned when the Romans withdrew around 400 CE. Ruins, including the walls of a building, are showcased at the Bratislava City Museum. 

Iza, Slovakia

The site of the watchtower and settlement at Celemantia (or Kelemantia)  is the largest collection of Limes ruins in Slovakia. It was constructed in the first century CE, before being burned by Germanic tribes and later rebuilt. A local legend holds that a Roman soldier housed his mistress in the tower – the purported origin of the lovely first name Leányvár, which means “girl castle” in Hungarian.

 
The ruins of Durostorum in Bulgaria overlook the Danube near Silistra © OmiStudio / Shutterstock
Silistra, Bulgaria

The ruins of the imperial outpost of Durostorum, founded in 106 CE by Emperor Trajan, are located in Silistra, in the northeast of Bulgaria. Although modern construction has obscured some archaeological findings, detailed ruins remain of a painted tomb from the fourth or fifth century, and the city garden is home to the ruins of a Roman basilica. A nearby archeological museum showcases objects retrieved from the site.

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Publish date : 2023-10-20 07:00:00

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