With the Roman Road Adventure Region, 18 municipalities and the Rhineland Regional Council are jointly opening up new insights into the history of the Rhineland and making it possible to experience it in a new way. The Roman long-distance roads from Cologne to Boulogne-sur-Mer (known as the Via Belgica) and from Cologne via Trier and Lyon to Marseille (known as the Via Agrippa) are being made comprehensible and tangible again in the Rhineland. A cycle and hiking trail that follows the original course of the former long-distance roads as closely as possible offers visitors and locals alike an unprecedented insight into Roman life along the important transport routes in the Rhineland.
The starting points for the excursion into Roman Rhineland are the so-called entry steles. They provide basic information about the adventure region and are located at public transport arrival points, larger car parks and the entry points named after the Latin term "Mansio" (= roadside inn). In addition to rest and relaxation areas, there are also transfer options from car to bicycle. Those who prefer to lace up their hiking boots can set off on a relaxing ramble through the adventure region.
Numerous information pillars along the way explain the course and structure of the roads and describe monuments and sights in the adventure region.
A uniform marking system along the route – recognisable by the VIA logo – serves as a guidance system: this includes columnar oaks and concrete arrows embedded in the ground, which mark sections of the route that no longer exist today. In addition, so-called mile markers indicate the respective distance to the starting point of the road in Cologne.
Further explanations are also available at information centres at five locations:
In Cologne, at the Romano-Germanic Museum in the Belgian House, the focus is on the Roman road system and Cologne's role as the provincial capital of Lower Germania.
At the Jülich Citadel, visitors can learn all sorts of interesting facts about the Via Belgica in a specially developed exhibition, while at the
Nettersheim Nature Centre focuses on the Agrippa Road.
The Gildehaus in Blankenheim, on the other hand, focuses primarily on Roman agriculture.
The multifaceted past of Rode Castle in Herzogenrath is presented at the local information centre.
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