Cloaca (wastewater channel) of the central baths – witnesses to past grandeur

Standing in the wastewater channel of the baths you can hardly imagine the grandeur of the former central baths. Only the size of the channel hints at the vastness of the facility.

Augusta Raurica Unterirdischer Abwasserkanal 1 Foto Susanne Schenker

As much as three town districts were combined to form the building site for the central baths. Built around AD 100, today only a slight elevation in the ground bears witness to the fact that the baths once stood here.

Roman baths were not only places of hygiene and beauty care; they were also popular social meeting points and places of entertainment. As a rule admission cost very little or was even free and the baths were open to everyone. Bathers were naked and there were usually separate areas for men and women.

The sight in the geodata viewer (GeoView BL)