A Roman site in the lands of Treveri

On the periphery of the small idyllic town of Echternach, there is a Roman villa – one of the largest and richest rural properties in the surrounding areas of Roman Trier – Augusta Treverorum.

Amongst vast tracts of agricultural land, the farm surrounded by walls extends over 10 hectares. This manor house was discovered in 1975/76, when diggers who were building an artificial lake hit remains of walls a few centimetres underground. After 15 months of excavation, the Roman manor house was cleared.

A genuine palace, it contained no less than 40, later even 70 rooms on the ground floor, with porches, courtyards, water basins, marble veneers, mosaic tiling, and underfloor heating.

Visitors can inspect the manor house, of which the basements, cellars and ornamental ponds were preserved. In addition, one can wander through a pergola covered in grapevine and a Roman garden in which over 70 medicinal and ornamental plants are presented.

A small information centre provides an explicit and vivid picture of daily life in a Roman villa. Reconstructed scenes with life-size figures and models provide insight into the villa: luxurious spas, sumptuous reception rooms, a kitchen and private living room…

For younger visitors, the villa offers a variety of school-related and extracurricular activities. Video projections about life in Roman times and a gift shop form part of the offer for the visitor.