LVR Archaeological Park Xanten with Roman Museum
Welcome to UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the grounds of the former Roman city of Colonia Ulpia Traiana, Germany's largest archaeological open-air museum invites you on a journey to antiquity.
Experience the fascinating world of the Romans at the LVR Archaeological Park in Xanten and explore the faithful replicas of the harbor temple, the craftsmen’s workshops, and the amphitheater. The LVR-RömerMuseum houses more than 2,500 artifacts. Numerous hands-on stations, the huge adventure playground, and the large bouncy castle let children experience Roman times with all their senses.
From May through September, a variety of craft demonstrations invite you to try your hand at these activities and participate on Saturdays and Sundays. On select weekends, visitors can weave, hammer, cut, and cast metal with their own hands at . Children are also expressly invited. At the traditional shoemaker’s workshop in the Roman inn, you’ll learn all about the footwear of the ancient Romans and can design your own leather keychain. Right next door, the bone carver demonstrates how animal bones were used in a variety of ways back then to create jewelry, hairpins, combs, or game pieces. A few meters further on, things heat up in the courtyard of the craftsmen’s houses when the bronze smith stokes the fire with his bellows. During guided tours of the current excavation site right next to the inn, visitors also gain expert insight into the scientific treasures that the soil of Xanten, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds in store for archaeologists. Here you can also learn more about the methods modern science uses to uncover life in ancient Colonia.
June 13–14
Limes Festival – Rome’s Legions on the Rhine, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. The time has finally come. The Romans are returning to Xanten in droves! Experience living history on a grand scale at the LVR Archaeological Park Xanten. More than 400 performers will showcase the daily lives of the legionnaires and civilian life along Rome’s fluid border, the Lower Germanic Limes.Activities range from demonstrations by legionnaires with large catapults and equestrian sports to craft demonstrations such as blacksmithing and pottery. For children, the Limes Festival will be an unforgettable experience thanks to many free activities that both young and old can participate in. A visit to Germany’s largest open-air museum could hardly be more exciting.
