Vindonissa Museum

Permanent exhibition on Vindonissa

Admission: Museum entrance fee Discover original objects from excavations! How did the Romans live 2,000 years ago on the territory of present-day Switzerland? What did they eat? What weapons and clothes did they wear? For more than 100 years, archaeologists in the Brugg/Windisch area have been researching the site where the only legionary camp on the territory of present-day Switzerland once stood. Largest collection of Roman writing tablets The Vindonissa Museum shows original objects from these excavations in its permanent exhibition. It presents life and everyday routines in the legionary camp

 
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 installed by the Cantonal Archaeology Department every year. Themes include current excavations, unusual finds and research results from throughout the canton of Aargau. The vernissage takes place every November. AKTUELL display: An exhibition featuring highlights from the Aargau Cantonal Archaeology Department. Current excavations, extraordinary finds and research findings.

 
Lenzburg Castle

Children's museum and PLIRRK!

Children's museum and PLIRRK! Admission Museum entrance fee Notice The craft area closes at 4.30 pm. Children must be supervised. The paradise for knights and princesses! Children's museum The children's museum is located right up in the attic of Lenzburg Castle. There are lots of secret nooks and crannies, hidden staircases and oriels to explore. Children can dress up as knights or princesses, chase around the corridors and practise handicrafts and painting to their heart's content. Children's exhibition PLIRRK In the children's exhibition PLIRRK!, kids can immerse themselves in the world of

 
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)848 871 200 Send a message Telephone availability: Tuesday to Friday 9 am - 12 pm / 1 pm - 4:30 pm November to March only in the morning

 
Wettingen Abbey

Guided tours for groups

Wettingen Abbey offers guided tours for groups. On request, they can also be organised in French. Offers for groups (in German) Contact +41 (0)848 871 200 Send a message Telephone availability: Tuesday to Friday 9 am - 12 pm / 1 pm - 4:30 pm November to March only in the morning

 
Habsburg Castle

Virtual Habsburg Castle

Virtual flight with VR glasses Admission Entrance free Booking required Book your time slot conveniently online. Please note The VR headsets are available at the visitor centre between April and October. Fly over Habsburg Castle as it was in 1200 Put your VR glasses on for an adventurous 360-degree flight over the castle in around the year 1200. Enjoy a bird's eye view of the site and immerse yourself in the world of the 13th century Habsburgs! Virtual Habsburg Castle: Fly over Habsburg Castle as it was in 1200

 
Wettingen Abbey

Historia

Audio-Tour Admission Museum entrance fee Duration of the entire tour Approx. 75 minutes 0 Discover Wettingen Abbey on the "Historia" audio tour Discover Wettingen Abbey on the "Historia" audio tour. 21 stops take you through the abbey church, the cloister, the medicinal herb garden and other outdoor areas. On the tour, you'll learn fascinating facts about 800 years of the abbey's history: from its founding and the monks' way of life right up to the present day. Discover Wettingen Abbey on the "Historia" audio tour.

 
Wettingen Abbey

Observatory

Permanent exhibition Admission Museum entrance fee Take a journey through the history of knowledge and belief At the Observatory, take a journey through the history of knowledge and belief in a cinematic installation. Together with a group of pupils from Wettingen Cantonal School, you will visit places that tell this story: from the earliest known cave paintings to the vastness of the World Wide Web. On this journey, you will discover how the monks of the Cistercian abbey understood knowledge in the Middle Ages – and how the expulsion of the monks from the abbey in 1841 was linked to new concepts

 
Wettingen Abbey

Medicinal garden

Admission Free of charge Tradition of monastic healing Today, medicinal herbs, spices, flowers and also certain vegetables grow in the medicinal garden of Wettingen Abbey. The garden showcases the long tradition of monastic medicine. The original location and design of the medicinal garden are not known in detail. It is assumed that, as in comparable abbey complexes, the Wettingen garden was located by the infirmary wing. The garden has been reconstructed at this location, based on the Hortulus book on gardening by the Reichenau abbot Walahfrid Strabo and the St. Gallen abbey plan from the 9th

 
Wettingen Abbey

Cloister garden

Admission Museum entrance fee Idyllic garden in the heart of the abbey complex Experience a special monastic atmosphere in the cloister garden of Wettingen Abbey: the idyllic garden with its meadow, yew tree, water basin and path is located within the abbey walls and surrounded by the cloister quadrangle. Throughout the ages, the cloister garden was designed as a spiritual garden with a central solitary tree. In monastic culture, the tree is reminiscent of the forbidden tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. On the other hand, it stands for life, as a symbol of Christ and the cross. Today's

Gradian
Erhaltene Wasserleitungen im Legionärspfad Vindonissa

Archaeological research

A whole series of spectacular finds

A whole series of spectacular finds

The soil around Vindonissa has been excavated and researched for more than 100 years in pursuit of archaeological evidence of the legionary camp and its civil settlement. Archaeologists repeatedly come across spectacular findings that provide fresh insights into what life was like 2,000 years ago.

The depots and archives now contain hundreds of thousands of items and archaeological information that sheds light on the world of the Romans in Vindonissa. Some of this treasure trove is now on show at the Vindonissa Museum in Brugg. In Windisch it is possible to view the structural remains dating back to the time of the legionary camp in the form of stations along the Legionary Trail.

The terrain in Windisch and Brugg continues to yield spectacular archaeological discoveries to this day. The most recent examples are the site of the eastern camp gate discovered by archaeologists of the canton of Aargau in 2014 and the previously unknown burial ground in Brugg-Remigersteig, which was unearthed in 2012. The burial ground at the foot of Bruggerberg was situated on the main road to Augusta Raurica. In addition to more than 140 graves, the excavations also brought to light an excellently preserved burial monument and the gravestone to go with it. The latter tells us that the grave belonged to Maxsimila from Bologna, who died at the age of 40, and her 10-year-old slave Heuprosinis.

Current excavations

Canton archaeologists are involved in a number of research projects relating to the Vindonissa excavation site. The Vindonissa Professorship for Roman Provincial Archaeology at the University of Basel Department of Classical Studies also makes an important contribution to research into the Roman site. A key focus here is collaboration with neighbouring scientific disciplines such as archaeobotany and archaeozoology.

For more information on current excavations in Vindonissa and elsewhere in Canton Argovia see Kantonsarchäologie Aargau (in German).