Römerstadt Carnuntum

About the museum

Carnuntum grew out of a fortified winter camp that the future Emperor Tiberius had built on the Danube in AD 6. Alongside the legionary fortress, built from the middle of the 1st century, a civilian town grew up. Under Hadrian it received town rights around 124, and under Septimius Severus – who was proclaimed emperor in Carnuntum in 193 – the status of a colonia. As the capital of the province of Upper Pannonia on the Danube limes and close to the Amber Road, the city had some 50,000 inhabitants; Marcus Aurelius stayed here from 171 to 173, and an imperial conference was held in 308.

Systematic research began at the end of the 19th century. The Society of Friends of Carnuntum, founded in 1884, financed the Museum Carnuntinum in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, a building in the style of a Roman country villa, which Emperor Franz Joseph I opened in 1904. It is regarded as the oldest excavation museum in Austria and today shows finds from the Lower Austrian state collections.

On 9 June 1996 the Archaeological Park Carnuntum was founded, bringing together the excavation museum, finds depot and open-air site. The reconstruction of part of the civilian town on the original site using ancient craft techniques is unique worldwide: the House of Lucius was built in 2006, and for the Lower Austrian State Exhibition 2011 the thermal baths, among other things, followed. Since 2021 Carnuntum has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Danube Limes.

To mark the 30th anniversary in 2026, a virtual reality room opened and the thermal baths were extended with further rooms featuring reconstructed ceiling paintings. Since its foundation, more than five million visitors have come.

Highlights

• Roman houses rebuilt on the original site, with thermal baths, Villa Urbana and House of Lucius
• Museum Carnuntinum with finds from the Lower Austrian state collections
• Heathens' Gate, late antique triumphal monument and landmark of Carnuntum
• Freely accessible amphitheatre of the civilian town
• Virtual reality flight "Carnuntum Experience" over the ancient city

Permanent exhibitions

• Römisches Stadtviertel – Residential and bath buildings from the early 4th century rebuilt on the original site, including the House of Lucius, Villa Urbana, thermal baths and the House of the Oil Merchant, fully furnished.
• Carnuntum – Weltstadt am Donaulimes – Exhibition in the Museum Carnuntinum on the military, city life, religion and burial customs of the Roman metropolis, with an interactive city map, helmets, face masks and a treasury.

Founded

1996

Operated by

Archäologische Kulturpark Niederösterreich Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. (NÖKU-Gruppe)

Director

Markus Wachter, Bernadette Schager (Geschäftsführung)

Admission & discounts

The day ticket is valid for the Roman City Quarter and the Museum Carnuntinum on the day of the visit. Free admission once per season with the NÖ-Card and Vienna Pass (not for group programmes). Ö1 Club and Ö1 intro members receive a 25% discount (also for one companion); further discounts with ARBÖ, ÖAMTC, Burgenland Card and Raiffeisen cards.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Roman City Quarter with limited accessibility: flat gravel paths, steps in the reconstructed houses; mobile ramps and wheelchairs for loan at the ticket desk (please give a few days' notice by phone if needed). Museum Carnuntinum fully accessible by wheelchair, stair lift to the upper floor. Accessible toilets at the main entrance, on the site, in the restaurant and in the museum. Mobile induction loops at all ticket desks; tactile paving, tactile orientation system, information boards in Braille and short guides in Braille and large print in the city quarter.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Furnished Roman houses with kitchens, underfloor heating and wall paintings to discover, family tours and a large playground with shaded rest areas. Green spaces and the amphitheatre are easy to navigate with a pushchair; there are steps on the paved streets, in the houses and in the museum. Children's birthday parties from ten children.

Getting there & parking

By car from Vienna via the A4 (exit Fischamend) and the B9 towards Hainburg, about 35 minutes.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Restaurant Forum Culinarium in the Roman City Quarter (during the season, with terrace); at the Museum Carnuntinum the Kurcafé in the Ludwigstorff spa centre. Carnuntum shop and web shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

All Roman buildings and both amphitheatres can be hired exclusively; civil weddings in the Villa Urbana, banquets in the thermal baths, as well as birthday parties and Roman soirées.

Plan your visit