Flavia Solva

About the museum

Flavia Solva arose near a Celtic central settlement, probably located on the Frauenberg near Leibnitz, and was granted town rights around 70 AD under Emperor Vespasian. The town was laid out according to plan as a “drawing-board city”: broad streets crossing at right angles enclosed uniform blocks of houses, covering around 40 hectares with approximately 10,000 inhabitants. It was regarded as one of the most cultivated towns in the province of Noricum; only Graz again reached a comparable size in the 17th century.

The Joanneum has been excavating here since 1877, when the then head of the Coin and Antiquities Cabinet made the first spectacular finds. Because the walls were used as building material after the end of the town, usually only foundations survive; they were backfilled for protection and are now marked on the surface by metal profiles. A burial mound from the Roman tumulus cemetery, excavated in 1916 and displayed for decades in the Joanneum’s garden in Graz, returned to Wagna in 2004.

In the same year, a pavilion resting on six pillars was built over the exposed ruins. Since 2012 it has been designed as a display case that can be walked around from the outside, so that the permanent exhibition can be viewed year-round and around the clock with free admission. In 2017 the site was renamed and the roughly 20,000-square-metre outdoor area was supplemented with a large banner depicting the town and information panels. An annually changing “Window into Roman Times” presents new research findings.

Highlights

• Styria’s only Roman town and the most important Roman-era archaeological site in the state
• Museum pavilion as a display case over the ruins that can be walked around at any hour
• 65-metre-long banner with a reconstruction of the ancient town
• Reconstructed burial mound from the Roman tumulus cemetery
• Annually changing “Window into Roman Times”

Permanent exhibition

• Flavia Solva – Den Römern auf der Spur – The display case shows key finds from over 140 years of research and tells the story of the town from the perspective of urban archaeology, from everyday life to the cult of the dead.

Operated by

Universalmuseum Joanneum GmbH

Director

Karl Peitler

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is always free.

Accessibility

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

The exhibition pavilion is accessible without barriers; the outdoor area only to a limited extent, as the ground is partly grass or gravel. Contact for questions about accessibility: Eva Ofner, +43 664 8017 9223.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

By car via the A9, exit 214 Leibnitz, towards Leibnitz; take the third exit at the second roundabout, continue on the B67 and take the first exit at the next roundabout onto Marburger Straße – the site is on the right. For public transport, use the route planner of Verbundlinie Steiermark.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit