Vindonissa Museum

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours Regular opening hours Monday* closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 1 pm – 5 pm Saturday closed Sunday, public holidays* 1 pm – 5 pm For schools and groups : We open on request add

 
Vindonissa Legionary Trail

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours 1 April to 2 November 2025 Monday* closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 am – 5 pm Saturday, Sunday, public holidays* 10 am – 6 pm * Open on the following public holidays: Easter

 
Egliswil Collection Centre

Guided tours and events

The Egliswil Collection Centre is not open to the public. From February to December a public guided tour takes place on the first Tuesday of each month. Event calendar (in German) Contact +41 (0)848 8

 
Egliswil Collection Centre

The Collection

The Museum Aargau Collection has been assembled from various holdings since 1830. It consists of bequests from Aargau's castles and monasteries, numerous donations, objects acquired from company archi

 
Königsfelden Abbey

Getting here by train, bus and car

Directions to Königsfelden Abbey Address Kloster Königsfelden – Museum Aargau 5210 Windisch Tel. 0848 871 200 Contact Arrival by public transport and car Arriving by train and bus Königsfelden Abbey i

 
Königsfelden Abbey

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours 11 July to 2 November 2025 Monday – Thursday closed Friday– Sunday 10 am – 5 pm Guided tours for groups and schools can be booked starting 8 July 2025 from Tuesday to Sunday. Entrance fe

 
Königsfelden Abbey

Accessibility

Getting here Arriving by car Visitors with reduced mobility can park at the meeting centre of Königsfelden Psychiatric Services. From there it is about 4 minutes to the convent church on a level path.

 
Königsfelden Abbey

Tour of the Abbey complex

Visit the exhibitions at Königsfelden Abbey and travel back to the time when the convent church was built. The Habsburgs built Königsfelden Abbey on the ruins of the Roman legionary camp of Vindonissa

 
Königsfelden Abbey

Excursions for families and children

Descend into the crypt or marvel at the famous stained-glass windows: Königsfelden Abbey offers tours for the whole family. Königsfelden Abbey is an exciting destination for families and children when

 
Königsfelden Abbey

Contact

Address Kloster Königsfelden – Museum Aargau 5210 Windisch Tel. 0848 871 200 Contact Organisation Museum Aargau Management Member Contact Dr. Marco Sigg Director E-Mail Dr. Angela Dettling Deputy Dire

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

Roman sites

Main street and main gate (Via et Porta Praetoria)

Main street and main gate (Via et Porta Praetoria)

The South Gate or Porta Praetoria was the most prestigious in every legionary camp. From here the main street 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 street 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.