Lauriacum Museum

UNESCO - History - Architecture

Lauriacum, the Roman settlement in the area of today's town of Enns, was an important transport hub. The legio II Italica, the Second Italic Legion, established the only legionary camp in the province of Noricum here at the end of the 2nd century AD. The approx. 6000 soldiers from this unit in the display collection give an idea of the importance of such a base.
 
Founded in 1892, the Lauriacum Museum is located in the former town hall in the centre of the town of Enns. The display collection, which was redesigned for the Upper Austrian Provincial Exhibition 2018, takes visitors on a journey of discovery into the Roman past with over 1,200 artefacts, reconstructions and media stations.

In 1892, archaeological finds from the Roman legionary camp of Lauriacum near Enns and its surroundings prompted a group of interested people to found a museum association for Enns and the surrounding area. The owner of Ennsegg Castle made a room in the castle's Meierhof available for the museum. In 1898, the association's own collection was combined with the town history collection in the Old Town Hall and the Fürstenberg private collection. In the course of this, the association received permission to set up its collection in the old council chamber.

This laid the foundation stone for what would later become the Lauriacum Museum. After a lengthy period of emergency accommodation due to bombing and the great shortage of space in the post-war period, it was not until 1964 and 1967 that the exhibits were reinstalled in the museum. One of the most important Roman collections in Austria showcases the diversity of Roman culture at the most important military base on the Danube Limes in the province of Noricum. The monumental building inscription of the Lauriacum legionary camp, the military equipment, the funerary monuments, the numerous testimonies to everyday Roman life, the unique ceiling fresco and a fragment of late antique fabric are among the many exhibits worthy of special mention. Aspects of the medieval and modern history of Enns are conveyed by old views, historical weapons, the council chamber with its magnificent paintings and the room with sacred artefacts.

In 1988, the Lauriacum Museum was awarded the Austrian Museum Prize and has been awarded the Austrian Museum Seal of Quality. Extensive renovation work has been carried out since autumn 2011 in view of the "800 Years of the Enns Charter" anniversary.

School class offers

In addition to a wide range of guided tours, we also offer age-specific educational programmes for school classes in the museum. You can find all the information you need at: enns-museen.at/schools_and_workshops