archaeological park carnuntum

..this is their slogan and the site lives up to the promise. Carnuntum is an very important and fascinating historic site, it is witness to more than 400 years of Roman life in this area starting in the 1st century AD. There are many archeological excavation sites in a relatively small radius and every one is worth a visit. We started with the Open Air Museum Petronell, make sure you allow ample time for this ! The displays are exceptionally well done and engaging. starting with an corridor of grave headstones and informative audio and video, to a huge screen re-enactment presentation of live at the camp and city. The open air displays convey a sense of how people of different means lived there. The Buildings , reconstructed after the actual findings which can be viewed at the Museum Carnuntum, are visual explanations of the roman hypo cause heating system, quality of living, public bathing culture, landscaping , roads, canal systems just go name a few. You can take a self guided tour, there are explanation boards in English everywhere. Must see are also the Heidentor, Amphitheater Petronell and Amphitheater Deutsch-Altenburg. the Grosse Therme can only be viewed from outside.

A museum and park devoted to illustrating the Roman garrison city of Carnuntum, on the Danube. The river had been the frontier, and a military garrison established its base here. The museum has gravestones and a very dramatic video of re-enactments of aspects of life in a Roman camp and city. There are obviously numerous people who enjoy re-creating the soldiers' and civilians' lives. Outside, there are the ruins of many houses and - most interesting of all - rebuilt buildings on the site of their originals. Inside, these are decorated and furnished in style. There is a very good guide book (we didn't take a guided tour, as the only one available was in German) which is a bargain to buy. The entry ticket gives access to other sites and a museum nearby.

This Roman museum park is located a short drive from Vienna airport. It has numerous sites scattered across it and if you were particularly interested you could probably spend a whole day here.There is a small exhibition hall with rows of old grave headstones. Then there was a brief history including staffs that belonged to the military. Outside was a 3D model of how Carnuntum had looked at the height of the Roman Empire around 300AD. From here we explored the ruins and the recreated buildings. There were the archaeological footings of several houses, one of which had been partially reconstructed. Apparently a lot of older excavation works had led to degradation of the site. The major reconstructed building involved a bath house and the villa of a cloth merchant. At the rear of the house was a magnificent colonnade where business would have been held. We also came across the remains of their sewer system and also their central heating where warm smoke from a fire was pumped under floor and wall tiles to warm the house. Rather an ingenious system.There was a short museum piece at the end which ran through the history of the Carnuntum site.In addition to the main museum there is the excavated Palace ruins about a ten minute walk away. We also checked out the amphitheatre and the Heidentor or Heathens Gate. These are about a forty minute loop walk from the main car park. Although there is not much to the amphitheatre the gate is still very impressive.

We spent a great morning here. It was far more interesting having done the tour. There is both an English and German tour and lasted roughly 90 minutes. There's also a self service restaurant right at the entrance. The buildings and rooms have been well recreated as they would have been centuries ago. Worth a visit

The artifacts were outstanding. Wish there had been more English. Staff were helpful. Presentations were top quality. Beautiful building.

It is hard to understand exactly what is at Carnuntum as you drive there. You see a huge parking area and a fairly new modern visitor centre. You don't see much from the road at all. Much to our surprise, it is a great way to spend a few hours. There is a nice interior exhibit showcasing the history of the area, burial rites and its importance as a Roman army camp. There is a nice audiovisual portion before you head outside to walk among the ruins. The reconstructed rooms are stunning and one is allowed to wander throughout at one's own pace.All the information is provided in both German and English throughout the park.

This Roman city began as a Roman army camp along the Danube River in what is now Austria. At its peak, some 50,000 people lived her, and after 1,700 years, Carnuntum's ancient glory is being recreated from the site's extensive ruins. There is an extensive model of the site, there are original pieces , and there are recreations of rooms. This is a worthwhile visit and has won an UNESCO award.

Surprised by the wonders of Carnuntum. Be sure to add this to your trip. Wander through small town to find this archaeological park.

The archaeological park is fantastic. Years of research make this a very accurate reconstruction of Roman life. The baths are amazing, the temperature actually increases as you move from room to room and they are heated the way the Romans would have done it. The two other home restorations are also very well done. Carnuntum was a very important Roman city and a visit is well worth the time. It's about 40km from Vienna.

Found it to be really informative, extremely well laid out. Excellent signage. The re-construction has been very well done, and one gets the feeling of actually living in those times. Found it to be amazing at how advanced the Romans were and the methods they used.

My wife and I (from Ohio) spent time with friends in Austria. Our friends took us to Carnuntum. Since our German is pretty bad, they found a Carnuntum guide, Anita, who gave a tour in both German and English. Anita was excellent, relating both to our Austrian friends and us. Her English was quite good and she explained details of Roman life that we never realized before, even though we have been to a number of Roman sites in England. Anita was especially good with the children in our party, bringing them all into the picture with puzzles to be solved (like identify the toilet in this room) and dressing several of them in the garb used in the baths (these were great photo opportunities of the children). The Carnuntum experience was wonderful and Anita was fabulous. You also need to see the Roman amphitheater down the road and practice your gladiator skills with shield and helmet. Much of the original amphitheater is intact, including the VIP seats.

The site was a positivy surprise to me. The museum gives a good overview of the big Roman city that was once present but has disappeared completely. To aid the visitors, there is a huge model of the city and several houses are rebuild in full and are in function to show the visitors the Roman way of life. Well done.

Never suspected a town of 50000 was just 45 mn away from Vienna. The explanations are clear and simple, and the park is beautiful. Yes, the buildings are completely new and there's very little that was there 2000 yrs ago except the tombstones, but it gives a good sense of how life was at e time and the whole place is pleasant to watch. My kids who are not so easy to please enjoyed the visit a lot. The sound effect in the very first room with the row of tombstones is very well done.

An excellent reconstruction of part of the ancient Roman capital of the frontier province of Pannonia, this is an inspiring World Heritage Centre. The reconstruction pays a great deal of attention to detail and gives a superb feel for life on the Frontier. A modern museum and regional produce shop provides background videos and models. Local hstelries provide good food.One tip, though: Take an umbrella! When the summer thunderstorms roll down the Donau Valley, they are both exciting and very, very wet.

We visited the park as part of a bicycle tour. Since today was a short ride, we decided to go the extra 5 kilometers from the hotel down to the park, tour there a couple of hours, then go back to the hotel, pick up the panniers and proceed to Bratislava.The park was exceedingly interesting, with reconstruction of the Roman houses using traditional methods.The displays in the entire complex are in three languages: German, English and Slovakian. They also have a pretty brochure for €1 with more details about the reconstruction of the buildings. Many museums do not provide descriptions in English, so we enjoyed the experience more than usual. The Carnuntum Archaeological Park is open on Mondays, which is unusual in Europe and lucky for us.The ticket was good for the history museum and the amphitheater as well, but as we wanted some time in Bratislava, we continued our bike ride.