Villa Rustica

Peiting, Germany

In 1956, the discovery of a Roman countryside villa was unearthed alongside the road to Weiler Kreut, parallel to what is now the B17 neu federal highway. This existed from the beginning of the 2nd century until the middle of the 4th century AD. The site is part of a group of large villas belonging to the former province of Raetia. It is situated on the junction of the former Roman Kaiserstaße Via Claudia Augusta, which runs on the opposite side of the Lech river, and the connecting road to the Brenner.

The Villa Rustica of Peiting is one of Germany’s rare atrium buildings, which instead of the usual corners risalits, features two apsides. Hypocaust heating systems in the main building and bath house, remains of mural paintings, glass windows and terra sigillata discoveries provide evidence of the building’s high standard of living.

Besides the rarity of the type of building, a small inscribed plumb panel was found on both sides, bricked into the foundation walls. The panel displays what is presumed to be a spell of love, which a certain clement had written and addressed to a woman by the name of Gemella. A find like no other to date, which still to this day has not been fully decrypted.

The remains of the bath house, which were exposed again between 2000 and 2004, can be found under a fully glazed protective enclosure. Information boards explain the construction. A Roman culinary and medicinal herb teaching garden surrounds the enclosure.

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Address

B17, Peiting, Germany
See all sites in Peiting

Details

Founded: 100 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Germany
Historical period: Germanic Tribes (Germany)

More Information

www.peiting.de

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Richard Werkhoven (6 months ago)
Very interesting place over the Roman line. Free admission, beautifully maintained. There was no one there at all, so it was a special experience, which was useful again further along the Romantic Road.
Josef Fendt (2 years ago)
A small open-air museum of a special kind. Free to visit at any time. Amazing how a Roman court was built here. Based on the large amount of information in the showcases, one can see how cement was made and how many workers worked on the farm and had to be taken care of. If you are in the area and love history, a detour is recommended.
Uwe Möhrke (2 years ago)
Good for a little detour from the main road. Interesting display boards. Unfortunately difficult to photograph through the glass panes. One would have liked to have had the inscriptions at home to look up. Maybe as a leaflet for a fee.
werner pinnekamp (3 years ago)
It is very impressive what has been created here through largely voluntary work; that deserves respect!
Martin Wening (3 years ago)
The foundations of the largest known Roman villa rustica in Raetia (roughly in Bavaria) lie here. Except that most of it is underground, so not visible. Archaeologically comprehensible, only the remains of a bathhouse remain to be seen and (this is also understandable for its preservation) in a glass house that cannot be entered in this way. The "always open" probably refers to the entire site). A guided tour (May-Oct. Sat. 2 p.m.) will probably help, but I wasn't there. The finds are described in an exemplary manner, almost like a small museum. How everything (private) was prepared is really impressive. A herb garden has been added to the excavation site, in which suitable useful plants are grown and shown. The excavation of other parts of the villa is planned, but it is unclear when something will happen. All in all, a bit ambiguous, at least from a purely tourist point of view, if you don't come to the guided tour.
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