Opening Doors to Museums - Access to Original Roman Sites

Sumelocenna, the Latin name for Rottemburg in Roman times, was undoubtedly one of the most important settlements in Upper Germania on the right bank of the Rhine. The settlement was founded around AD 85/90 during the reign of Emperor Domitian on the main road connecting Switzerland with the Limes. Over time, Sumelocenna began to acquire an urban character, and towards the end of the 2nd century AD it was fortified by the construction of a 1.8-km-long, 2-metre-thick wall, which was up to 5 m high. The enclosure covered an area of more than 30 ha. Three large public spaces have been identified within the enclosure: a temple area, a bathing area and public latrines, as well as a sewage system. Sumelocenna existed for only 170 years, its buildings being buried or destroyed with the construction of Rottemburg. The investigation of its remains under the houses of the modern town of Rottemburg am Neckar is certainly not a closed chapter. Year after year, archaeological discoveries are made, old questions are answered and new questions are raised. Even today, the fascinating history of this ancient Roman city can still be seen in many places in the town: in the baths, in the preserved pillars near the Porta Swabian, in the aqueduct, but above all and above all in the Sumelocenna Museum.