Vindonissa Museum

Quiz Tour

Price Included in admission 0 Price Museum entrance fee No reservation necessary Good to know Independent tour for children from 7 years on Duration: about 30 to 60 minutes Trough the museum with the

 
Vindonissa Museum

AKTUELL display

Admission: Museum entrance fee Highlights from the Cantonal Archaeology Department The AKTUELL display presents special treasures from the former legionary camp at Vindonissa. A new display is install

 
Wettingen Abbey

Convent garden

Admission: Entrance free 120 English park, kitchen garden and plane tree avenue Discover secluded spots in the convent garden of Wettingen Abbey and stroll through the historic kitchen garden. A walk

 
Wildegg Castle

Living history museum and ancestral portrait gallery

Admission: Museum entrance fee Former castle residents are waiting to chat with visitors! Wildegg Castle is the castle of talking portraits: in the ancestral portrait gallery and the living history mu

 
Wildegg Castle

Hunting and game

Admission: Museum entrance fee Stroke a wild boar! Stroke a wild boar and find out how the lords of Wildegg hunted with birds of prey and dogs around 1800. In the Jagd & Wild (Hunting & Game) exhibiti

 
Hallwyl Castle

Permanent exhibition with mill island

Admission: Museum entrance fee Permanent exhibition on the family and construction history Sowing and reaping, rulers and servants, hopes and prayers: discover the medieval world of the lords of Hallw

 
Lenzburg Castle

Domestic life museum and prison

Admission: Museum entrance fee The museum of domestic life and prison reveal the lives of lords, rogues and scoundrels. The museum of domestic life and prison of Lenzburg Castle reveal the lives of lo

 
Lenzburg Castle

Knighthood and Nobility

Admission: Museum entrance fee The "Knighthood and Nobility" exhibition focuses on the Middle Ages. Medieval fans will find plenty to interest them in the "Knighthood and Nobility" exhibition: discove

 
Lenzburg Castle

History workshop exhibition

Admission: Museum entrance fee Prepare for a military campaign in the history workshop. Prepare for a military campaign in the history workshop, learn the fighting techniques of a knight or play games

 
Lenzburg Castle

Fauchi and the dragon research station

Admission: Museum entrance fee Visit Fauchi, the castle dragon! What would Lenzburg Castle be without Fauchi! The castle dragon is loved by all young visitors. At the dragon research station you can f

Gradian
Hauptsstrasse und Südtor (via et Porta Praetoria) des Legionslagers Vindonissa

Roman sites

Main road and gate – Via et Porta Praetoria

The South Gate or Porta Praetoria was the most prestigious in every legionary camp. From here the main road led directly to legion command. This roman site can be visited without museum admission.

The most important gateway in a military camp was the Porta Praetoria. The main road starting at the gate (via praetoria) lead in a straight line to the legion's headquarters (principia), the administrative and religious centre of the camp. The legion commander's palace (praetorium) was situated on the same road. When the soldiers were required to go to war, they left the camp in orderly formation through the Porta Praetoria.

At Vindonissa, the Porta Praetoria was some 13 to 15 metres high and was built in stone by the 11th legion. It had two side towers that were rectangular in layout, like the North Gate, and it comprised a wooden superstructure. The passage through the gateway was spanned by a bridge at the height of the battlements so as to be able to deploy guards. The camp wall (vallum) encompassing the entire legionary camp was joined directly onto the side of the gateway. The camp wall was 12 Roman feet (approx. 3.6 metres) wide and reinforced at regular intervals with fortified towers. In front of it was a V-shaped ditch (fossa) as an obstacle to approaching enemies.

The Via Praetoria led straight from the South Gate to the North Gate of the camp and comprised a thick, compact gravel layer which remains excellently preserved after 2,000 years. Rain water was collected from the roofs and drained by means of stone gulleys by the roadside. Legionary Trail visitors can still see the stone column bases of the pergolas which once ran along the Roman road.

This roman site can be visited without museum admission.