World Heritage neighbour: The Upper German-Raetian Limes

Public awareness of the Limes has increased considerably since UNESCO

recognized it as a World Heritage Site in 2005. Today the Limes is not only a

protected archaeological site but also a favoured destination for many visitors

from near and far. At many points along the Limes, history enthusiasts can pick

up interesting details about the life of the Romans, particularly on the stretch

between Rheinbrohl and the Saalburg near Bad Homburg. It is interesting to

note that, for the first 100 kilometres between the “Caput Limitis” and the castellum Zugmantel to the east of the Middle Rhine Valley, the Limes runs virtually parallel to the Rhine. The separating distance varies between a few hundred metres (near Rheinbrohl) and approx. 25 km (between Heidenrod and the Rheingau near Rüdesheim). This means that links between the UNESCO World Heritage Sites ‘Upper Middle Rhine Valley’ and ‘Roman Limes’ will become increasingly close. This stretch of the Limes runs mainly through forests and across agricultural land – an enchanting landscape full of idyllic villages, tranquil valleys and beautiful hiking trails. When you visit the Limes you’ll learn a lot of interesting things about the era of the Roman Empire, but you’ll also enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the Westerwald and Taunus. Of course, the most exciting thing on the route from Rheinbrohl via Arzbach to Hohenstein is the Limes itself. There were once 900 watchtowers, numerous small ‘milecastle’ fortlets and 60 major military forts along the entire 550 km extent of the Limes. At many of the places where these once stood, towers have been reconstructed, palisade fences erected, information panels put up or the sites of former forts marked with stakes. In this way the Limes has been made visible and accessible again along almost its entire length. In some places “Sichtfenster” have been installed. These‘windows on history’ impressively demonstrate how the landscape looked at the time of the Romans. The Roman and Germanic eras come alive again at “Roman festivals” and “Limes experience days” which take place at various locations along the route of the Limes. Launched in 2005, the ‘Visualisation of the Limes” is a project sponsored by the Federal States of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hessen. It has inspired many

residents of the so-called Limes communities, who have the Limes running

through their local area, to find out more about Roman history and, under

expert supervision, to volunteer their time to help uncover the traces of the Roman frontier and make them visible again. Visitors to the Limes can now find out more about these traces with the help of the “Limes Cicerones”, a group of proficient and highly qualified guides who will bring history back to life. Some of the most outstanding projects on the stretch of the Limes between Rheinbrohl and the well-known Saalburg museum near Bad Homburg are the “Römerwelt” (“Roman World”) at the Caput Limitis in Rheinbrohl, the oldest reconstruction of a watchtower on the Wintersberg in Bad Ems, the newly erected full-size Limeskastell at Pohl (Rhine-Lahn district) directly on the B 260 road, the archaeologically significant cohort castellum near Holzhausen (Rhine-Lahn district) and the Limes Information Centre of the Rheingau-Taunus district on the Georgenthal estate near Hohenstein.