Musée Méindeg: Roman Villa Echternach

Méindeg, 4 Juli.

One of the first places I visited after arriving in Luxembourg was the historic town of Echternach. Since then, I've returned almost a dozen times: hiking, travelling with friends, or even visiting the town's medieval Christmas market. If you've visited me, chances are we went to Echternach. (If you've visited me and we didn't go to Echternach ... awkwaaaard.) Anyhow, despite all of these visits, there is one major Echternach highlight that I'd never managed to see. Until last week, that is!

Today's Musée Méindeg post is taking you to the Roman Villa Echternach! The remains of this third-century Roman villa were discovered in 1975, during excavations for an artificial lake. It has since been named one of the most important Gallo-Roman sites north of the Alps!
 

The sizable villa was located in a suburb, so to speak, of the massive Roman settlement in modern-day Trier. Today, it's hard to imagine the network of residential villas and military fortifications that once covered this region! Still, the excavated and semi-reconstructed site goes a long way to helping you imagine what life might have been like for these ancient Luxembourgers. Given the climate (with temperatures just *slightly* cooler than in Italy), I was particularly amazed at the number of outdoor courtyards and open-air colonnades.

Located just next to the site, the museum itself consists of a handful of rooms featuring information about life for ancient Romans. It is complete with scale models of the villa throughout different periods in history as well as reconstituted scenes of everyday life -- like the kitchen, featured below.

Practical Information.

The Roman Villa is located on the outskirts of the town of Echternach, so it's accessible via public transport if you are willing to do a little walking. Getting to the villa with a car is the easier option, but that proved tricky -- we wound up misreading a sign, missing our turn, and driving in a circle around the whole town. Scenic, but not ideal. If you're interested in staying nearby and exploring the area, the Echternach Youth Hostel is located just a few minutes' walk from the museum, on the edge of the lake.

The museum is closed during the winter months and on Mondays. From mid-March through mid-October, it can be visited 10-12 and 13-17. Admission costs just 1€ for adults and senior citizens and is free for school groups, students, and those under 21.

Want to learn more? Click here to visit the website of the Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art (MNHA), which administers the site.