Vindonissa Museum

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Exterior view of the Vindonissa Museum
Vindonissa Museum

The Vindonissa Museum (spelling: Vindonissa Museum ) is an archaeological museum in the city of Brugg , in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland . It conveys the history of the Roman legionary camp Vindonissa in the neighboring municipality of Windisch as well as the Roman cultural history . There are further exhibition rooms and locations in the municipality of Windisch . The museum was operated by the Aargau Canton Archeology until 2017 and is owned by the Pro Vindonissa Society (GPV). Since January 1, 2017, it has been part of the Aargau Museum under the direction of archaeologist Rahel Göldi.

Planning and construction

In 1897, under the direction of the student Otto Hauser, excavations began in the Windisch amphitheater , which soon uncovered a rich spectrum of finds. Then the GPV was founded, which planned to build a museum from 1903. The basic funding came in 1906 through an exhibition in the monastery church in Königsfelden and in 1907 through an open-air play in the amphitheater. The GPV also announced a competition in which the Brugg-born architects Adolf Füchslin and Albert Froelich (then active in Charlottenburg ) took part. Two years later, Froelich's revised project was awarded the contract. The foundation stone was laid on May 4, 1910, and the opening took place on April 28, 1912. Most recently, the construction costs were around 150,000 francs.

architecture

The Art Nouveau museum building is located on Eisiplatz across from the old town and with its compact, monumental appearance sets its own powerful accent. A three-storey, rectangular main wing dominates the structure of the entire building. A porch with two tower-like corner projections is attached to it. At the back, in the garden, is a five-axis loggia with round arches. The roofs also highlight the individual parts of the building; the large hipped roof over the main wing is penetrated on both sides by smaller hipped roofs with different dimensions and ridge heights. Together with the roofing of the corner projections, this results in an allusion to the west gate of the Roman legionary camp Vindonissa (but not an actual reconstruction).

At the left corner of the front of the building is a statue of the Capitoline Wolf . The long wall on the long front of the main building are equipped with round medallions in stucco decorated on which the Roman Emperor Nerva , Domitian , Vespasian and Nero are displayed. The base is heavily rusticated . The shape and color of the interior are based on a Roman house. In cooperation with the architect, Werner Büchli painted the two exhibition halls, and 28 figures from Roman mythology were also displayed on the columns on the upper floor.

The new museum building, which was trend-setting at the time, was planned according to the latest findings from Berlin museums and copied in 1922 when the Provinciaal Museum was built in Nijmegen ( Netherlands ). The museum building has been preserved in its original condition to this day and is therefore a total work of art in its own right .

exhibition

The museum tells about research and history of the only Roman legionary camp in Switzerland . The permanent and special exhibitions show the most important finds and findings from more than a hundred years of excavations in Vindonissa. Various guided tours and workshops for adults and schools are offered, which take visitors into the life of the Roman legionaries and make archaeological research tangible. The exhibition is divided into different subject areas. In addition to various objects from everyday use, weapons, parts of legionnaires' uniforms, medical instruments, grave goods and much more are shown. The Legio XXI Rapax was stationed in Vindonissa , which was then replaced by the Legio XI Claudia Pia Fidelis . On the basis of various documents found (including an explanation or interpretation by the museum) one learns a lot about the life of the legionnaires of that time. The life of the Helvetii , who lived in the same area before the Romans , is also discussed.

  • Legionnaires uniform

  • Model of the Vindonissa camp

  • Ammunition for guns

  • Oil lamps from the Vindonissa camp

  • Bowls and plates

  • Writing tools from the Vindonissa camp

  • Game pieces made of glass

  • Parts of the permanent exhibition of the Vindonissa Museum

  • Different sword parts

literature

  • Zuzana Haefeli-Sonin, Klaus Speich: The Vindonissa Museum in Brugg . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History . Swiss art guide, volume 589 . Bern 1996, ISBN 3-85782-589-8 .
  • Berliner Architekturwelt , 12th year 1909/1910, issue 8 (from November 1909), p. 304 (perspective design drawing)

Web links

Commons : Vindonissa Museum  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Vindonissa Museum in Brugg was the scene of a coronation. Retrieved February 11, 2017 .

Coordinates: 47 ° 29 '3.7 "  N , 8 ° 12' 20.3"  E ; CH1903:  657,810  /  259569