The Limes in Novaesium

2000 years ago, a line divided Europe into two areas: The Limes stretched from Scotland across the Middle East to Africa and marked the outer border of the Roman Empire. But this border was not an impermeable wall: only in a few sections was it fortified with ramparts and palisades. In Lower Germania, regularly spaced forts and watchtowers and the Rhine delimited the Roman territory.

In fact, the Limes was not only a military bulwark, but also a zone of cultural exchange.

The stationing of thousands of Roman soldiers with their families led to a lively trade in goods and the founding of numerous towns. People from all over the world met here.
In recent years, the Limes has once again become more prominent as a part of European history. In the meantime, the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes in southern Germany and Hadrian's and Antonius' Wall in Great Britain have become part of the World Heritage Site. For the Lower Germanic Limes from Bad Breisig on the Rhine to the Dutch North Sea coast, an application for inscription as a World Heritage Site is currently being prepared.

The exhibition brought a part of the great European construction to life again and asked about the traces of the Limes on the Lower Rhine and in Neuss. The focus was not only on the structural relics, but also on the questions of how the people of Novaesium lived with this border.