Ro­man set­tle­ment by the Rhine

The city of Xanten at the Lower Rhine was the most important Roman settlement by the Rhine, founded by emperor Traianus 2000 years ago. An open-air museum gives you an idea of how the city would have looked like in the Roman days. The original name of the city was Colonia Ulpia Traiana and it had close to 10 000 inhabitants in her days of Roman glory. You can find reconstructed or recovered parts of the Roman settlement in the museum. So you can litterally take a huge step in time and learn all about the Roman way of living.

My first stop on site was the place where a team is rebuilding a typical Roman boat. True craftsmenship is found in this place and it gives a great insight as to how the Romans took the proximity of the Rhine to their advantage.

Close nearby you will find the relics of a massive harbour temple. Only a few parts of the temple have been restored, but looking at these artifacts, it’s not at all too hard to imagine how grand the temple must have looked, viewed from a ship on the Rhine! I also visited a reconstructed Roman villa, that gave me a good idea about typical Roman life 2000 years ago.

Read more about The Social Traveler exploring Xanten.