Limesmuseum Aalen

Current exhibitions

About the museum

When Aalen needed new building land in the early 1950s, plans called for building over the previously undeveloped site of the Roman fort as well. Local historian Bernhard Hildebrand protested and won influential supporters; in the end the area remained open, and a museum designed by Emil Leo was built at the edge of the excavation site, opening in 1964.

In 1977 the town acquired the fort site in order to triple the exhibition space together with the state and to advance the excavations. The new building, constructed in 1981 by Knut Lohrer and Dieter Herrmann and incorporating the old core, won several architecture awards. The walls uncovered by 1986 – including the largest headquarters building on the entire Limes – are preserved in the Archäologischer Park (archaeological park), where a reconstructed section of a cavalry barrack has also stood since 2005.

Aalen was home to the cavalry unit ala II Flavia, whose camp was the largest cavalry fort north of the Alps. Since 2005 the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The museum is a branch of the Archäologisches Landesmuseum Baden-Württemberg and is operated by the town of Aalen.

After an expansion in 1999/2000, the building underwent an energy-efficiency renovation from 2016 to 2019, and the permanent exhibition was completely redesigned. On some 1,500 square meters with more than 1,200 original finds, the first floor introduces everyday life on the Limes 1,800 years ago, while the second floor takes visitors on a journey of discovery along the 164-kilometer stretch of the Limes in the state. During the Aalener Römertage (Aalen Roman Days), the museum and park are regularly transformed into a Roman camp.

Highlights

• Largest headquarters building on the Limes in the Archäologischer Park
• Reconstructed section of a Roman cavalry barrack
• Alexander-type mask helmet
• Tin-figure diorama with more than 2,000 figures
• Free audio guide with 125 stops
• Aalener Römertage, the oldest Roman festival in southern Germany

Permanent exhibitions

• Das römische Aalen – Militärbasis am Limes – Everyday life of soldiers and civilians around the cavalry fort of the ala II Flavia, told through Roman characters and a large tin-figure diorama.
• Der Limes – Eine Grenze für Rom – A journey of discovery along the Baden-Württemberg section of the Limes, with finds from forts, towers, and settlements.
• Der Limes als UNESCO-Welterbe – Exhibition area on the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes as part of the transnational World Heritage Site "Frontiers of the Roman Empire".

Founded

1964

Operated by

Stadt Aalen (Zweigmuseum des Archäologischen Landesmuseums Baden-Württemberg)

Director

Julia Datow-Ensling

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the AlbCard, the Landesfamilienpass (state family pass), and the Spion card of the town of Aalen, and for members of the Museumsverband Baden-Württemberg. Admission includes the permanent and special exhibitions as well as the Archäologischer Park and is valid all day. No online ticket sales.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: not available
• Audio description: no information

Building and exhibition space step-free, automatic doors, second floor by elevator; only the basement is reachable solely by stairs. Accessible restroom on the first floor, three accessible parking spaces at Berliner Platz opposite. The Archäologischer Park is not accessible due to gravel and the slope (except for the cavalry barrack). Tactile guidance system to the entrance, four tactile models of Roman buildings, guided tours with touch objects on request; folding stools to borrow. Films without subtitles, no offerings in sign language.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 6+

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum recommends a visit for children aged 6 and up. Guided tours for children, family workshops (e.g., writing in antiquity, the game of nine men's morris), and bookable children's birthday parties (approx. 2.5 hours); free coloring and craft sheets at the ticket desk, a play box and museum suitcase available to borrow, and listening stations with Romans telling stories. Children's corner for playing and reading on the upper floor, Roman dress-up corner in the basement. Baby changing table in the sick room and in the accessible restroom; strollers are allowed in the exhibition.

Getting there & parking

By car via the B19 or B29; from the A7, exit 114 or 115.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Small selection of cold and hot drinks in the foyer; food you bring yourself is allowed in the foyer and outside; museum shop with books and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

As far as we know, the museum does not rent out spaces for external events.

Rooms currently not available for rent; for small groups, coffee and cake or a sparkling wine reception may be possible in individual cases.

Plan your visit