Aguntum

In the Lienz Basin of East Tyrol, the ruins of the Roman town Municipium Claudium Aguntum are waiting to be explored. As early as the 16th century, people told a legend that a “dwarf town” once stood here, because the low vaults and passageways looked like rooms that only dwarves could have used.

If you want to go high, climb the steel observation tower: 91 steps lead to a platform about 15 meters up, where the view opens over the excavations and the Lienz Basin.

The excavations themselves have plenty to offer:

• A round building, probably a macellum (market hall), where meat, fish and oysters were once sold
• The large Roman baths with marble thresholds, mosaic floors and wall paintings
• An assembly hall with marble decoration and underfloor heating, probably used for court hearings
• A city wall that was once about 400 meters long and is partly being reconstructed to a height of 5 to 6 meters

A museum across from the excavation site offers about 1,250 m² of exhibition space. A stone wall was discovered in the middle of the forum, probably from a Roman temple of the 1st century.