The East Gate of Aventicum
N 46° 53.269 E 007° 03.485
32T E 352057 N 5194528
Substantial parts of the Roman wall, above all, towards the plain and the region of "Tornallaz" have survived destruction as the stone was unsuitable for "quarrying" after the fall of the Empire.
Waymark Code: WM2A6Q
Location: Vaud, Switzerland
Date Posted: 10/01/2007
Views: 48
Aventicum's roman wall is the most important construction in Helvetia. Measuring 5.6 km in length, about 7 m in height and 2.4 m in breadth at the covered way. In all 73 inner towers and 5 gates or posterns have been discovered. The structure required 200,000 m cubed of stones from the Jura, conveyed by barges. The construction was set about by the Flavian emperors (70 - 80 A.D.) The wall established a status to the city, and played no real military role.
Restauration and reconstruction at the Eastern gate and the Tornallaz tower took place between 1854 and 1935.
Fo the five known or presumed gates, the so-called East Gate and the West Gate are imposing constructions while the North-East, the North and the South gates are of smaller dimensions.
The layout of the East gate reflects a triple function: in the middle, the passage for vehicles, flanked on both sides by corridors for pedestrians and access to the path along the ramparts. All passages were vaulted with the exception of the circular courtyard in the middle which served soley for military purposes: in case the enemy managed to penetrate through the exterior doors, they were theoretically stopped by the interior doors and were thus trapped in the middle courtyard.
(Some text taken from the book "Aventicum : The Roman City and the Museum" by Hans Bögli)
Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening days/times:
24 x 7
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Partly intact or reconstructed
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