Roman Bath and Fort of Rammersweier (Offenburg)
N 48° 29.171 E 007° 57.494
32U E 423022 N 5370863
The Roman bath facility of Rammersweier was discovered in 1993 during the widening of Moltkestraße and was excavated by the state monument bureau.
Waymark Code: WM1ZVR
Location: Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Date Posted: 08/11/2007
Views: 80
The Bath :
The discovery of the fort in 1995 indicated that it was a bath for soldiers. The remains of the bath were conserved by volunteers. The nearly completely destroyed fireproof wall (lime morter) with heating duct and a part of the floor were extended.
The exposed wall outline (dry stone wall) surrounded the heating facilities, which were buried in the ground. Pottery finds date the bath to 2nd half of the 1st century A.D.
The size and function of the bath is able to be reconstructed on the basis of the heating system and remains of the floor. The building was presumably a wood or half timbered construction and was larger than the heating system.
The bath was heated via a outdoor fireplace (praefurnium). The heated air flowed under the floor, which was held up by short columns (hypokaustum).
The visitor to the bath progressed through rooms of differing temperature in a specific order.
With its small dimensions, this bath presents a unique cultural monument. It is one of the oldest sites of the Roman civilization in the Ortenau.
The Fort :
As the bath was undergoing conservation, a search for unexploded ordnance across the street led to the discovery of parts of a roman kiln. The excavations revealed that the kiln had been destroyed during the construction of a V shaped ditch. With further excavations, the post holes of a wooden tower, additional sections of a double V shaped ditch, and gates were discovered - all parts of the original rampart, palisade and surrounding ditch.
The former Roman surface was already so worn down by the elements, erosion and agriculture, that no trace of the inside buildings could be detected.
Probably, the two forts in Rammersweier and in Zunsweier were built in connection with the roman Kinzig valley road and protected the entrance to the Kinzig valley in the 2nd half of the 1st century A.D.
Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening days/times:
24 x 7
Condition: Partly intact or reconstructed
Web Site: Not listed
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