IRENE's TRAVELOGUEJUNE/JULY 2002TRACING ROMAN GERMANIA II
Schwäbisch Hall Berlin MORE TRAVEL Tracing Roman Germania 1999 Tracing Roman Germania 2003 in the works Ancient Rome as seen in the year 2001 |
MILTENBERG |
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Miltenberg is an hour by train from Aschaffenburg. Maybe the heat colored my impressions, or my memory played tricks: I thought it was much more touristy than when I had been there in the past – granted though that this was many years ago, and with less heat, I might have explored more outside the market place and the street with all the souvenir shops. It is quite some walk from the railroad station to the old town, but a very nice lady on the train gave me a ride in her car, so I had to do it only in one direction.
Miltenberg again is an ancient place, prehistoric, Celts and Romans, thereafter an oppidum Walehusen on the foundations of the castellum, and documentation of a 13th century town. Here is a timeline in German.
In the early 17th century, witch trials resulted in the death of 69 people. Some years later, the Thirty Years War devastations reduced the population by half.
Sandstone was a large local industry in the middle ages, providing much stone for the cathedral in Mainz, but probably earlier also, as some of the Roman era monuments in the museum indicate. Today, tourism seems to be its largest business.
Roman Times: At Miltenberg, the border as a wall is replaced by the river Main for a stretch, when an eastward expansion of the Limes occurred under Antoninus Pius. Roman presence is documented between 150 and 260 A.D. Remains of two castelli have been found. A larger cohort castellum was located where the old town is now, housing the Cohors I Sequanorum et Rauracorum equitata. It was right by the harbor then. Nearby baths have also been found. A small castellum, housing auxiliary troops, was a bit further east. Archaeological finds indicate that both where occupied during the same time period. On top of an adjoining hill there was a fairly large Mercurius temple.
Miltenberg has an excellent town museum, Museum der Stadt Miltenberg, making up for much on that hot day. It occupies 16th century town house, at the upper end of the the market square,the so-called “Schnatterloch.” Extensive renovations in 1996 created an exemplary museum concept, and in 1999 it received the Bavarian museums prize, which is given every two years to a nonstate museum. Well deserved indeed! But, as so often, I was the only visitor. Here are a few images of things Roman.
At left is a 15th century madonna, attributed to a local sculptor, the so-called "Meister der Dreikönigsgruppe," (master of the epiphany).
The museum courtyard is used for concerts.
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Market square “Am Schnatterloch“ with Renaissance fountain. |
And back to Aschaffenburg. From there, it is not very far to Bad Homburg and the Saalburg, at the other side of Frankfurt, and I treated myself to a cab to get there.
© Irene B. Hahn 2002
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