Station: [26] A late Antique Watchtower

Aside from the fort of Boiotro, the Passau neighbourhood of Haibach holds another visible archaeological monument - a late Antique watchtower, the foundations of which have survived to this day. It is located about three kilometres from here in the grounds of a water treatment plant that are open to the public, in case you are interested in seeing it. The base of the tower measured twelve by twelve metres and was protected by a ditch. The tower was probably built in the fourth century under the emperor Valentinian I. At that time, the northern frontier of the Roman Empire was fortified and strengthened as part of a large-scale building programme. Watchtowers and forts were placed within sight of one another so that warnings of attacks could easily be signalled along the frontier line. But the watchtower in Passau was not only used for monitoring the river frontier. From here, guards could also control the main road that led from Passau to Ioviacum and Lauriacum, the modern towns of Schlögen and Enns.

This brings us to the end of our audio tour. We hope you enjoyed learning more about the life and culture of the Romans on the northern frontier of their once mighty Empire. 

Outside you can see some remains of the original walls of the fort in the museum grounds. The stereoscopes placed there enable you to see a three-dimensional reconstruction of the fort of Boiotro. Thank you so much for your visit, we hope to see you again soon!