Roman Watchtower 1/84

The Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, with a length of 550 km, from Eining near Regensburg to Rheinbrohl on the Rhine, is the largest archaeological monument in Germany and has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Limes (Latin: border path/wall) refers to the border fortifications of the Roman Empire, which were erected towards the end of the 1st century AD.

This border was monitored by more than 900 towers, which were built in timber construction during the initial phase, starting around 80 AD. Stone towers followed, which were plastered from 150 AD onwards. Excavations have shown that the white plaster often had cracked joints that were painted in terracotta. This created the impression of beautiful ashlar masonry.

At 423 m above sea level, the highest point in the area, an unusually large stone tower with dimensions of 8.00 m by 6.50 m, located an unusual 180 m behind the Limes. The thickness of the foundation walls was 1.30 m. Traces of an older wooden tower were found beneath the stone tower. On its foundations, the Stefansturm, which still stands at this location today, was erected in 1954 as a reconstruction of Wp 1/84. The middle part of the reconstruction is flawed in that the Romans did not use block construction.