Ancient Secret Unveiled: Finally Clarity About "Desolate Castle" in Stopfenreuth

The wall remains near a Danube side arm close to Stopfenreuth (Lower Austria) are referred to as "Ödes Schloss." What it actually was had long been a mystery. After excavations last year, it is now clear that it is - as suspected around 150 years ago - a Roman "bridgehead fort" - the first of its kind on Austrian soil. However, whether there was once a permanent bridge over the Danube there is doubtful, according to one of the experts involved, speaking to APA.

"Ödes Schloss" in Lower Austria has always been a subject of speculation

Today, only the northernmost side walls of the fortification, which was examined by archaeologists in the mid and late 19th century, remain. Around the remains in the Stopfenreuth floodplain, of which only one wall is visible at low water, there have been repeated speculations, explained Christian Gugl from the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) of the Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). There was talk of possible medieval castle remains or a fortification that might have existed until the "First Turkish War." "It remained unclear whether it was really a Roman fort," said the scientist from the research group "Archaeology of the Roman Provinces in the Latin West."

Battle Zone Danube: Roman Emperors in Eastern Austria

It was plausible that there might have been a Danube crossing there even back then. This area, about four kilometers from the legionary camp Carnuntum, was likely quite suitable for a long time to cross the main stream in the region, which was once interspersed with significantly more side arms. Additionally, there is a depiction of a pontoon bridge over the Danube near Carnuntum on the "Column of Marcus Aurelius," erected in Rome around the year 190 AD.

The era was marked by incursions of Germanic groups, who advanced as far as Upper Italy during the Marcomannic Wars, putting considerable pressure on the vast empire. The Danube then formed the contested border between the Roman Empire in the south and the Germanic territories in the north. The conflicts also brought the emperors Marcus Aurelius and later Gallienus to what is now Eastern Austria.

After excavations in Stopfenreuth: Doubts about "Ödes Schloss" dispelled by archaeologists

It is precisely in this period that the experts from the ÖAI and the Archaeological Park Carnuntum can now classify the "Öde Schloss". Based on last year's excavations, where wall remains up to 2.65 meters high were uncovered, it is now clear that it is undoubtedly a bridgehead fort.

Which bridge construction the "head" belonged to remains open, emphasized Gugl, who tends to believe the depiction on the Column of Marcus Aurelius: "A solid bridge is rather questionable." The finding is certainly special, because: The next similar fort installation is found at Iža-Leányvár in Slovakia.

Some questions about the Lower Austrian fort could now be clarified: Two construction phases are emerging. The first around the years 170 to 180 AD. At that time, Emperor Marcus Aurelius had the border reinforced. Around the year 260 AD, Emperor Gallienus followed up. The current excavations also found stamped bricks from the legionary units XIV and XV, coins, ceramics, and smaller bronze finds. "They demonstrate the great strategic importance of Carnuntum within the Roman military system and provide new insights into the military security of the north-south connection," said the scientific director in Carnuntum, Eduard Pollhammer, in a statement on Monday.

Sensational Discovery Brings New Significance to the Stopfenreuth Region

For Gugl, it now means: "We must extend our overall plan back to the Stopfenreuth region." Because whether significant Roman activities really took place in this area on the northern bank of the Danube was long unclear. The fact that more stone forts, also occupied by strong troop units, were apparently erected here on the quasi other side of the Danube "changes our picture of the Limes in a decisive way." Thus, Stopfenreuth could be "the gateway to free Germania" on one hand and the first point of attack in raids on the Roman river side on the other, according to Gugl.

Even around 100 years after the Marcomannic Wars, the fort still seems to have played an important role, as the construction work during the time of Gallienus - who could barely hold the empire together - shows. Towards the end of the fourth century, "the history of the Stopfenreuth fort also ends," said the archaeologist. This also coincided with the overall loss of significance of Carnuntum.

(APA/Red)

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