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 29 March to 3 November 2024 Monday* closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 am – 5 pm Saturday, Sunday, public holidays* 10 am – 6 pm * Open on the following public holidays: Easte

 
Hallwyl Castle

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours: castle and bistro 29 March to 3 November 2024 Monday closed Tuesday – Sunday, public holidays* 10 am – 5 pm * Open on the following public holidays: Easter (Good Friday, Easter Sunday a

 
Wildegg Castle

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours: castle, garden and bistro 29 March to 3 November 2024 Monday closed Tuesday – Sunday, public holidays* 10 am – 5 pm * Open on the following public holidays: Easter (Good Friday, Easter

 
Lenzburg Castle

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours: castle and bistro 29 March to 3 November 2024 Monday closed Tuesday – Sunday, public holidays* 10 am – 5 pm * Open on the following public holidays: Easter (Good Friday, Easter Sunday a

 
Wettingen Abbey

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours Opening hours of the museum (with admission fee) Opening hours of the museum with monks' church (part of the abbey church), cloister, parlatorium, auditorium and puzzle tour of the abbey

 
Königsfelden Abbey

Opening hours and entrance fees

CLOSED FOR RESTORATION Königsfelden Abbey is currently being restored and will be open again from 11 July 2025 (Friday to Sunday). Guided tours for groups and schools can be booked starting 8 July 202

 
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

 
Habsburg Castle

Opening hours and entrance fees

Opening hours castle Summer season 29 March to 3 November 2024 Monday closed Tuesday – Sunday, public holidays* 10 am – 5 pm * Open on the following public holidays: Easter (Good Friday, Easter Sunday

 
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

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.