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In the Miecher forest extensive remains of a Roman farming community have been found. Two large villas have been excavated and the foundations partially rebuilt. There are other buildings and fortifications on the site which are now being unearthed.
Information boards at the site explain that the villas probably date back to the 1st century but were extensively developed in the 4th century. Roman civilization was then thriving in the area owing to the prosperity of the imperial city of Trier.
The Villa Miecher, a villa rustica covering some 700 m2 and designated Building I, stands on elevated ground overlooking the land to the south. The cellar built in the 1st century was later converted into a cistern for water supply. There is also evidence of water purification systems. By the 4th century, the south facade with its large porch, its two lateral towers and its central door must have made the villa an impressive sight.
The second building, in the north-west corner of the settlement was constructed in the 1st century but was considerably modified during the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The room in the north-west corner was converted into a caldarium for heated baths. The other rooms were probably used to house the servants. The building was abandoned in the 4th century and fell to ruin.
The Roman road from Trier to Arlon and Reims passes through nearby Capellen. Produce from the Miecher settlement could therefore have been transported along this road.
References:The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.