Chur Roman Ruins

Chur, Switzerland

Several prehistoric settlements and remains of a Roman road station have been discovered in Welschdörfli, the old town district in Chur. You can visit the excavations and discoveries on the Ackermann grounds on Seilerbahnweg.

The protective structures covering the archaeological sites from the Roman era were built in 1986 according to designs by local architect Peter Zumthor. They do not only protect the finds, they are also a museum and architectural masterpiece. The weighty building with its delicate rilled outer surface is reminiscent of the original Roman edifices.

You can get the key to the protective structures from the Chur Tourism information centre at the station.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 15 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Switzerland

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Felicia Tong (12 months ago)
Need to grab key for 5 chf at the tourist centre first. Give 50 chf deposit in case you don bring the key back but you get it when you return the key. Then walk towards the Shelter of Roman Ruins which is 10 mins away. Interesting site. My husband is an architect so he took lots of photos and took his time.
C (18 months ago)
Zumthor smashes it. Interesting artifacts to accompany the architecture. Make sure to get the key from the tourist information desk at Chur train station before travelling to the building. It’s €50/50CHF cash deposit for the key, and €5/5CHF for entry. We had the place to ourselves and whilst visiting in the morning.
onez ssum (2 years ago)
mustgoplace the master of architecture you have to get a key from tourist center or museum. please check the photo about information i uploaded. 20chf deposit.
Tim Stoop (5 years ago)
Great architecture with a nice exposition. You can get the entrance key at the chur tourism office at the station for a 50 EUR/chf deposit. Entrance itself costs 3 chf.
Kory Kerber (5 years ago)
Another masterpiece from Zumthor.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Celje Castle

Celje Castle was once the largest fortification on Slovenian territory. The first fortified building on the site (a Romanesque palace) was built in the first half of the 13th century by the Counts of Heunburg from Carinthia on the stony outcrop on the western side of the ridge where the castle stands. It had five sides, or four plus the southern side, which was a natural defence. The first written records of the castle date back to between 1125 and 1137; it was probably built by Count Gunter. In the western section of the castle, there was a building with several floors. Remains of the walls of this palatium have survived. In the eastern section, there was an enclosed courtyard with large water reservoirs. The eastern wall, which protects the castle from its most exposed side, was around three metres thicker than the rest of the curtain wall. The wall was topped with a parapet and protected walkway.