Roman road Neckar-Alb-Aare (Association)

Signs for the road in front of Iuliomagus

The Römerstraße Neckar-Alb-Aare association is responsible for a tourism project in southern Baden-Württemberg and northern Switzerland . The project is based on the course of a historical Roman road (with branches) and advertises the archaeological sites, monuments and museums along the route and in the vicinity. According to the definition of the "German Tourist Association" as the Roman road Neckar-Alb-Aare, the route has the characteristics of a holiday route .

The office is the Römerstrasse Neckar-Alb-Aare eV association in Rottweil, and Christiane Frank is the managing director.

Foundation and project development

background

Since the 19th century an awareness of “ local history ” has developed - educated people, often teachers, but also town and village dwellers who are fascinated by the matter collected traditions and also knowledge about “historical (find) places”. Scientific thinking resulted in the local researchers being careful with excavations, which in the area of ​​what is now Baden-Württemberg are often related to legacies of the Romans. The regions were part of the Roman Empire for centuries . A remarkable number of cities and municipalities can come up with excavations, even still visible monuments and museums. Since the post-war period, there has been a general interest in knowledge of far-reaching political, military, cultural and architectural contexts that goes beyond specialization and locality.

Nevertheless, in the public presentation, the Limes road was primarily known as a route along the military border fortifications . In contrast, the hinterland with its many legacies, especially thematically very different, was little or no presence. In addition, the many small towns along the way found it difficult to adequately advertise their sights.

"So in 1998 the idea arose in Rottenburg of setting up a modern tourist route along this ancient route (the original route is of course only in a few places and only partially occupied) in order to be able to advertise all the small and large attractions across the board and to use synergy effects."

Gradual expansion

“Initially, the section from Köngen to Burladingen was set up under the name 'Römerstraße Neckar-Alb' (inauguration in 2000), followed relatively quickly by the extension to Rottweil and from there to Brugg / Windisch (inauguration 2004) and Stein am Rhein / Eschenz. “The project was then renamed 'Römerstraße Neckar-Alb-Aare'. The route in Switzerland has been running via Pfyn to Frauenfeld since 2014.

The routes lead only where they have been built over in a modern way, on historical passages and mainly use nearby federal and state roads that lead to the advertised historical sights. However, it can be stated that today, as 2000 years ago, the main traffic connections from Switzerland and between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb lead north. The originality also applies to local road networks.

The association is supported by the neighboring city, community and district administrations, cultural offices, associations and archaeological offices in Germany and Switzerland. The association is advised on conceptual matters by the neighboring tourism associations, and on technical matters by a scientific advisory board made up of personalities from archaeological institutes and museums.

Conception and organization

General imparting of knowledge

In cooperation with experts and those responsible for the site, archaeological sites and museums were coordinated - geographically linked by streets or rivers, because only then do the "individual stations [..] bring many facets to Roman history." that "as in antiquity [..] the borders between the German southwest and Switzerland (will) be overcome."

deals

Numerous guided tours of the site and museums, days of action and “Roman festivals” - with a number of legionnaires and ethnic groups that were originally equipped and operated; In addition, lectures and special exhibitions complement tours that tourists and interested parties can undertake independently. The website gathers a wealth of information.

organization

It was clear from the start that a regularly manned head office had to be set up in order to cope with the effort involved in organizing ongoing and gradually expanded activities:

“Initially, the chairmanship / management / office was taken over by the city of Rottenburg for 6 years. In 2004, the company moved to Rottweil. Because the initially planned rotation system of the office entails high friction losses in the long run and only a few places can shoulder such additional tasks, a professional office with 30% workload was set up in 2007. "

Historic and modern road layout

Road courses of the Roman expansion up to the Limes

The name of the historical route is unknown. The archaeologist Gerhard Fingerlin called the original section to Hüfingen "Roman road from the Swiss plateau towards Baar / Neckar area".

The historical course of the road was created after one of the Augustan Alpine campaigns from 15 BC. Officially declared to secure the northern Italian plain by subjugating the Alpine tribes, the third of the campaigns led by means of a pincer movement under the generals Drusus and Tiberius to the occupation of the northern Alpine foothills, today's northern Switzerland.

The army group of the later Emperor Tiberius relied on a probably already existing Roman base near today's Brugg with the XIX. Legion across the Upper Rhine and set up the Dangstetten legion camp there. During the six years of its existence (up to 9 BC) determined by coin finds, an ancient trade route over the pass near Bechtersbohl to the Rhine tributary Wutach via Schleitheim (later the Juliomagus ) and, according to more recent research, as far as Hüfingen an der Donau (the later Brigobanne ) and positions secured there.

A forced continuation as a southern deployment base against Germania did not take place - probably as a result of the death of the military leader Drusus, also political events in the east of the empire and later the failure of a campaign further north across the Rhine in the battle in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD.

Course of the 'modern' Roman road Neckar-Alb-Aare

Only the "road construction emperor" Claudius is likely to have resumed the route around 40 AD. The road was finally established by the so-called "Black Forest campaign" of Gnaeus Pinarius Cornelius Clemens in 73/74 AD, who widened the eastward Danube south road at Fort Hüfingen to the west by a connection through the Kinzig valley to Argentorate (Strasbourg) and from the south of Juliomagus followed. Then the road cross was expanded to Arae Flaviae (Rottweil) and the countryside was occupied in several campaigns up to the Limes. In the following 150 peaceful years, the Heeresstrasse was the direct connection from Italy across the Alps to Germania and the reference line for a network of cross and secondary connections.

From the western end of Lake Constance, an army road at Stein am Rhein was led across the river through the Hegau to Rottweil.

Only in the third century, attacked Alemanni the limit on. After several waves of attack and recaptures by Roman armies as well as still longer peaceful periods, the areas north of the High Rhine were abandoned. The troops were finally withdrawn from this line of defense in 406 AD. Nevertheless, the Celtic-Romanic population seems to have settled around former cities and forts in the river region for a long time, because an Alemannic conquest was only established at the beginning of the 5th century. Today's research assumes a largely conflict-free coexistence. Rather, the opponents of the Alemanni were the Franks , who pursued an expansive state formation, defeated the 'unorganized' Alamanni in two battles, and for their part occupied and expanded the Roman places that controlled important transport connections.

Section at Bechtersbohl. The trees are located within the Roman route

Today's ("modern") course (example)

From Windisch / Brugg (Vindonissa), largely on the national road 5 (with railway line), the route is identical to the former route, then the connection branches off to Bad Zurzach (Tenedo). There it leads over the Upper Rhine almost at the same point as the Roman bridge to the then bridgehead Rheinheim . After a few kilometers, you will reach the pass near Bechtersbohl on road 161 . At the top of the pass, the Heerstraße still clearly led straight and steeply sloping into the Klettgau plain, while the modern road next to it leads down in serpentines.

The old road was paved with track stones (two of which can still be seen in the nearby ruins of Küssaburg ), and a trucking company with carts of oxen drove heavy wagons up and down. The Roman line was in operation until the modern road was built in 1875.

Participating locations and institutions (members)

Association members are the lord mayors, mayors (Germany), the mayors or mayors, mayors or mayors (Switzerland), in institutions and offices: chief or chairperson.

cities and communes

• Places on the route from Vindonissa to Köngen (sections Neckar-Alb and Neckar-Aare )

No.	City or municipality	country	Roman name	Sightseeing
01	Kings	Germany	Grinario	Fort (park), museum
02	Nürtingen	Germany	unknown	Villa Rustica, museum
03	Pliezhausen	Germany	unknown	Mercury relief, temple replica
04th	Kirchentellinsfurt	Germany	unknown	Pillar tomb
05	Rottenburg am Neckar	Germany	Sumelocenna	Bathing facility, museum over the city area
06th	Sülchgauer Altertumsverein Rottenburg	Germany	-
07th	Bad Niedernau / Obernau	Germany	-	Spring house and water pipe
08th	Eutingen	Germany	unknown	Remains of a hall of the gods
09	Hirrlingen	Germany	-	Roman road
10	Rank things	Germany	-	Roman road
11	Hechingen	Germany	unknown	Manor complex with reconstructions (see No. 13)
12	Hechingen-Stein (Association)	Germany	-	Roman Open Air Museum Hechingen-Stein
13	Burladingen	Germany	unknown	Burladingen fort
14th	Geislingen (Zollernalb district)	Germany	unknown	Fort Geislingen / Häsenbühl
15th	Rose field	Germany	unknown	Villa Rustica Römerbad (open-air facility)
16	Sulz am Neckar	Germany	unknown	Sulz Castle
17th	Oberndorf am Neckar	Germany	unknown	Villa Rustica (Bochingen) (finds in museum)
18th	Rottweil	Germany	Arae Flaviae	Roman capital ( civitas ), Dominican museum
19th	Niedereschach	Germany	unknown	Villa Rustica / thermal baths
20th	Hüfingen	Germany	Brigobannis	Hüfingen fort
21st	Schleitheim	Switzerland	Juliomago	Thermenmuseum and building foundations
22nd	Bad Zurzach	Switzerland	Tenedo	Double fort Kirchlibuck-Sidelen / Museum Höfli
23	Verena Foundation (Zurzach)	Switzerland	Tenedo	Verena Minster
24	Bad Zurzach Tourism	Switzerland	Tenedo	Roman military camp Zurzach : Early fort near Zurzach Castle
25th	Brugg	Switzerland	Vindonissa	Vindonissa Museum
26th	Windisch	Switzerland	Vindonissa	Legion camp and civil settlement, amphitheater
27	Society Pro Vindonissa	Switzerland	-
28	Aargau Museum	Switzerland	Vindonissa	Vindonissa Legionnaires' Trail and Vindonissa water pipes

• Roman road Rottweil – Frauenfeld (section Neckar – Hochrhein)

No.	City or municipality	country	Roman name	Sightseeing
29	Wormlings	Germany	unknown	Bathing facility ( thermal baths ) in the shelter (see Roman bath (Wurmlingen) )
30th	Narrow	Germany	unknown	Roman manor of Bargen (Engen)
31	Tengen	Germany	unknown	Roman manor of Büßlingen
32	Stone at the Rhein	Switzerland	Tasgetium	Fort and civil settlement, finds in the Allerheiligen monastery (Switzerland) in Schaffhausen
33	Eschenz	Switzerland	Tasgetium	Bridge (Insel Werd ) and archaeological trail
34	Association for Village History / Museum Eschenz	Switzerland	Tasgetium	Eschenz Village Museum
35	Pfyn	Switzerland	Ad Fines	Fort, ruins in the town center ("Städli")
36	Frauenfeld	Switzerland	unknown	Museum of Archeology Thurgau / Roman Villa Stutheien

Offices

No.	Association	country		website
37	Rottweil district archive, culture, tourism	Germany	-	Rottweil district
38	Cantonal Archeology Aargau	Switzerland	-	Cantonal Archeology Aargau
39	Cantonal Archeology Schaffhausen	Switzerland	-	Cantonal Archeology Schaffhausen
40	Office for Archeology Thurgau	Switzerland	-	Office for Archeology Thurgau
41	RP Stuttgart State Office for Monument Preservation	Germany	-	State Office for Monument Preservation

Remarks

1. ↑ On Vindonissa: “With the presence of the Roman military in the decades after the middle of the 1st century BC. Is to be expected. Stationed Roman military is from the 2nd decade BC. Secured. Obviously, this strategic place was also used in connection with supply and logistics. ”(S. Martin-Kilcher: Archaeological traces of the Roman occupation between the Alps and the Upper Rhine , p. 261 in: Lehmann / Wiegels (ed.): About the Alps and over the Rhine , 2015). This means that planning for the Alpine campaign that has been prepared for the long term can be assumed.

Web links

Wikivoyage: Roman road Neckar-Alb-Aare  - travel guide

• Roman road Neckar-Alb-Aare eV

literature

• Claudia Knubben: Römerstrasse Neckar-Alb-Aare , Kunstverlag Josef Fink, Lindenberg 2010. ISBN 978-3-89870-646-9 .
• Christiane Frank: The Roman road Neckar-Alb-Aare In: Beautiful Swabia , July / August 2009.
• Dieter Planck (ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. Roman sites and museums from Aalen to Zwiefalten , Theiss-Verlag, Stuttgart 2005

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Quotations: Presentation of the association in an information sheet, supplemented on request.
2. ↑ Brochure Römerstrasse Neckar-Alb-Aare , Kunstverlag Josef Fink, Lindenberg 2010, pp. 3 and 58. ISBN 978-3-89870-646-9 .
3. ↑ Information sheet of the association, 2019.
4. ↑ G. Fingerlin: Rheinheim - Dangstetten. A legionary camp from early Roman times , special print from Archäologische Nachrichten aus Baden, issue 6, April 1971 , Tröndle, Rheinheim-Dangstetten, 1971, p. 3.
5. ↑ Jost Bürgi: Die Römer am Hochrhein , Ed .: Gesellschaft Pro Juliomago, 1984, p. 10.