Welcome to Augusta Raurica!
Everyone should be able to experience Augusta Raurica.
That is why this text is written in easy-to-read language.
Augusta Raurica is a museum about the Romans.
And a park with ruins.
The ruins are the remains of walls from the Roman times.
We also have a park containing animals.
Who were the Romans?
The Romans were a group of people – women, men and children.
They lived 2000 years ago.
In some places in Switzerland too.
The town of Augusta Raurica was one of these places.
That is why our museum is named Augusta Raurica.
What does Augusta Raurica mean?
Augusta: A town belonging to the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus.
Raurica: The Raurici were a group of people.
They lived here before the Romans did.
Augusta Raurica is a town that belonged to Caesar Augustus.
In a place where the Raurici lived previously.
The museum and the Roman house
The museum includes an exhibition and a Roman house.
You can see finds from the Roman times in the exhibition.
The finds are all from the local area.
There is a large treasure of silver.
There is also a special exhibition with the coffin of a Roman lady.
In the Roman house, you will be able to see
how the Romans lived 2000 years ago.
The house belonged to a rich family with servants.
The servants looked after the family and the household.
The Roman house has:
- a garden
- a kitchen
- a dining room
- a dressing room
- many bathrooms
- a living room
- a bedroom
- a work room
- a tavern. Today, we would call this a pub.
The park with ruins and animals
Augusta Raurica was a large town.
Today, you can still see the remains of building walls in the park.
Another name for these are ruins.
The theatre, the forum and the amphitheatre were all important buildings.
- Plays were shown in the theatre. Just like today.
- The forum was the central meeting place in a Roman town.
- The amphitheatre was a type of stadium. The Romans held fights here.
We also have an animal park.
With ducks, goats, geese, peafowl, cows, donkey and pigs.
Information for visitors
Opening times
The park with the ruins and animals is always open.
The museum and the Roman house:
- Open: Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Closed: 24 and 25 December and 1 January.
Admission prices
The park with the ruins and the animals is free to enter.
The museum and the Roman house:
- People over the age of 18 years old: CHF 8
- Children and young people from 6 to 17 years old: CHF 6
- Schoolchildren and people in further education aged up to 26 years old: CHF 6
- Retirees with an AHV card: CHF 6
- Groups of 10 people or more (price per person): CHF 6
- People with a disability ID: free
- People with a Kultur Legi card: CHF 4
- Carers of people with disabilities: free
You can pay using Swiss francs, euros and by card.
Accessibility
Guide dogs are welcome: Yes.
The museum is wheelchair accessible: Yes.
The toilets on the ground floor are wheelchair accessible: Yes.
Wheelchairs are available to loan: Yes, at the museum cash register.
There are ramps for accessing the Roman house: Yes. Ask at the museum cash register.
Wheelchair access: In some places. This map shows you where.
Food and drinks
There are 2 barbecue areas:
In the amphitheatre and next to the Schönbühl temple.
You are not allowed to light fires or barbecue anywhere else.
You need to bring your own wood.
Please take any rubbish home with you.
There is also a small pub.
It is opposite the museum.
The pub’s name is LUCI.
Here, you can buy warm and cold food as well as drinks.
LUCI opening times:
- March: Every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (in good weather).
- From April to October: Every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- From November to February: Closed.
Where are we
The museum’s address is:
Augusta Raurica, Giebenacherstrasse 17, 4302 Augst
Getting here by car
Take the Augst or Rheinfelden motorway exit.
Follow the brown signposts to Augusta Raurica.
Getting here by boat
Only possible in summer.
From Basel Schifflände or Rheinfelden:
Take the boat to Augst or Kaiseraugst and then a 20-minute walk.
Tarmac footpath with steep uphill sections.
Getting here with public transport
From Liestal or Basel Aeschenplatz:
Take bus 81 and get off at the Augst BL Stundeglas bus stop.
From the Stundeglas bus stop:
- a 15-minute walk on the pavement.
There is a steep uphill section at the end of the walk. - Or: Take bus 72 or 83 and get off at Augst BL Langgass.
It is then a 5-minute walk to the museum.
The path is on a steep uphill slope.
From Basel train station, Frick or Rheinfelden:
Take the S1 train and get off at Kaiseraugst. This is 1 station after Salina Raurica.
From Kaiseraugst train station:
- A 15-minute walk on the pavement.
There is a steep uphill section at the end of the walk. - Or: Take bus 72 and get off at Augst BL Schwarzacker.
It is then a 7-minute walk to the museum.
Some parts of the walk are downhill.
- Or: Take bus 82 or 83 and get off at Augst BL Langgass.
It is then a 5-minute walk to the museum.
The path is on a steep uphill slope.
Information on the Kaiseraugst train station:
Assistance getting on and off trains with your wheelchair: No.
Mobile lift: No.
Platform access without stairs: Yes. Possible via a lift or ramp.
Wheelchair-accessible toilets: No.
Free internet: No.
Wheelchair-accessible ticket office: No.
Hearing-aid-compatible counter: No
Special offers
There are many special offers for visiting and experiencing Augusta Raurica.
We organise workshops and events.
Workshops
There are various workshops on offer. For example:
You can bake bread and make ointments.
You can view all of the workshops here.
If you would like more information,
please contact us
You can do this by telephone or via e-mail:
- Telephone: 061 552 22 22
- E-mail: mail@augusta-raurica.ch
Groups can also contact us.
Workshops can also be held with a sign language interpreter.
To organise this,
please contact us 2 months before the workshop.
There are 2 fantastic workshops for people with impaired vision:
We use special materials in these workshops.
Feel free to ask us any questions you have!
Events
We hold a huge festival once a year – the Roman Festival.
People dress up as Romans.
They show visitors how the Romans lived.
There are food and drinks on offer as well as performances to enjoy.
Visitors can take part in activities. For example:
- Roman games
- Baking bread
- Dress up as Romans
- Pottery making
- Playing music
The next Roman Festival will take place on 26 and 27 August 2023.
Another event is the International Museum Day:
On this day, visitors can play games in the Roman house.
You can also get involved!
Visitors can try out many new experiences.
There are also activities for people with impaired vision.
There will also be explanations provided in braille.
The next International Museum Day will be held on 19 May 2024.
Augusta Raurica – in the past
The Romans came here from Italy.
This was around 2000 years ago.
The Romans founded the town of Augusta Raurica.
The town was big.
Approximately 15,000 people lived here.
The people bathed in the “thermae.”
Today, we would call this the thermal baths.
There were shows in the theatre.
Fights were held in the amphitheatre.
The forum was the centre of the town.
The “Curia” was the townhall.
The Romans stayed here for 400 years.
That is the history of Augusta Raurica.
Augusta Raurica – the present
Augusta Raurica is now a museum.
Around 60 people work here.
We take care of the ruins and the finds.
This means:
We keep them clean. We repair them. We preserve them.
We sometimes carry out excavations. This means:
We dig into the ground.
We often find other items that belonged to the Romans here.
These are the new finds.
We research these finds.
And we store them in the collection centre.
We also organise workshops and parties.
Everyone can take part in these.
Text by Augusta Raurica
Translation by Capito Zürich