Aqueduct bridge in Mechernich-Vollem
The aqueduct bridge in Vollem was part of the Roman Eifel aqueduct that supplied the Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium , ancient Cologne , with drinking water, and is located between Vollem and Urfey . The aqueduct bridge is almost completely preserved and transported the water from the source areas Grüner Pütz and Klausbrunnen over the ancient Kallmuther Bach towards Cologne. It was one of the many smaller bridges in the Eifel aqueduct that were used to cross streams. A little down the line, the strand coming from the headwaters in Urfey met the canal. The water was then transported in the vaulted underground channel through the Veybach valley to the collecting basin in Eiserfey .
The aqueduct bridge was 7.3 m long and 1.79 m wide and had only one passage for the creek, which is still almost completely preserved and was 1.12 m wide. The good state of preservation can probably be explained by the fact that the ancient brook had shifted in post-Roman times and the bridge was then on dry land.
The aqueduct bridge was first archaeologically examined in 1981. It has only recently been opened up for tourism. The Römerkanal hiking trail from Nettersheim to Cologne, which was renewed in 2012 , now also passes this Eifel aqueduct structure, which is important because of its rare state of preservation. The small aqueduct bridge is now station 9 of this hiking trail. There is also parking space for visitors near the building.
literature
- Klaus Grewe : Atlas of the Roman water pipes to Cologne (= Rhenish excavations. Volume 26). With contributions by Werner Brinker, Günther Garbrecht, Hansgerd Hellenkemper , Heinz-Otto Lamprecht, Horst D. Schulz , Edgar Thofern. Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1986, ISBN 3-7927-0868-X , p. 64 ff.
- Klaus Grewe: Aqueducts. Water for Rome's cities. The big overview - from the Roman Canal to the aqueduct marble. Regionalia Verlag, Rheinbach 2014, ISBN 978-3-95540-127-6 , p. 273 f.
- Klaus Grewe, Manfred Knauff: The long leadership of the Romans. The Römerkanal hiking trail Nettersheim-Cologne. Publisher: Eifelverein eV 1st edition 2012. ISBN 978-3-921805-81-7 , p. 156 ff.
Coordinates: 50 ° 32 ′ 50 ″ N , 6 ° 38 ′ 32 ″ E