AUGUSTA RAURICA - BASEL
Roman Town, Museum and House on the Rhine
Augusta Raurica is possibly the best preserved Roman town north of the Alps. It gets its name from a tribe of ancient Gaul, the Raurici and the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. Once a thriving and rather sprawling town on the banks of the Rhine River, where Switzerland, France and Germany meet, just outside of present day Basel. Augusta Raurica was first thought to be founded by Lucius Plancus about 44 BC, but grew to a substantial Roman settlement after Augustus’ conquest of the Alps region, with the oldest artifact found dating to about 6 BC. In the 3rd Century AD, the town was badly damaged in an earthquake and then sacked by marauding tribes. The Rhine River was the northern boundary of the empire and the Romans tried to maintain their hold by constructing a large fort, taking much of the stone from the town. In the 16th Century two villages on tributary rivers of the Rhine were separated into territories of the rulers of Basel and the Habsburgs, retaining the identity of the Roman town called Augst and Kaiseraugst, until the forming of modern Switzerland in the 19th Century, though by then the town was only a small fishing village along the river.
Augusta Raurica, today is a short train ride or drive from Basel in a suburban neighborhood. Spread out on either side of the railway tracks and bounded by the Basel-Zurich auto highway, a number of sites can be visited, following a walking trail. Toward the river are the remains of the walls of the Roman Fort, or castel, a Roman Bath house by the Rhine bank and an early Christian era Bishop’s house. To the south among the hillsides are the main sites which include a theater, a reconstructed Roman House and Museum, a temple, a Town Hall (Curia) with mosaics, a Bath and Well House, part of the stone works of a remaining sewer and aqueduct, an Amphitheater and several building excavation sites. There is an animal park for kids. Roman Days activities and performances are held every year in late August.
Roman House and Museum
For a casual tourist visit, the main site is the Roman Museum and the recreation of a Roman House, located next to the reconstructed theater, where 10,000 Romans were entertained by plays and pantomimes. The Roman House, representing the residence of a patrician family in the countryside, is of a central courtyard surrounded by private household rooms and workshops. The house is painted in the rich colors in vogue during Roman days and the limited furniture of the living rooms can be sat upon. The shops represent a smokehouse, a foundry and kitchens, populated with figurines. The Museum houses a wide collection of artifacts of all phases of Roman life, architecture, pottery, jewelry, handcrafts, gravestones, art, medicine, money, and military. The collection features the impressive Kaiseraugst Treasure of Silver and behind the museum is a collection of Roman statuary.in the Lapidarium.
Visiting Augusta Raurica Roman House Museum
The Museum and Roman House are the only sites which require an admission charge. The Museum is open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday and on Monday 1pm to 5 pm, from March to October. (11 am opening in winter November to February). Admission to the museum is 7 CHF adults and 5 CHF reduced. The Augusta Raurica Museum and Roman House are free with a Swiss Museum Pass or Swiss Rail Pass. The various other monuments and grounds are free to explore. An audio guide for touring the theatre is available for 5 CHF. To get there by public transportation, take the S1 from Basel SBB station to Kaiseraugst, or Bus Line 81 from Aeschenplatz to Augst. By car there is parking from the A3 or A2. © Bargain
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Augusta Raurica
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MUSEUM OF MUSIC AUTOMATONS - SEEWEN
