Xanten (Germany)

Roman aqueducts: Xanten (Germany) Xanten - COLONIA ULPIA TRAIANA
For the photo's, see below
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The 9 km long aqueduct that supplied the Colonia Ulpia Traiana (CUT) with water, had its sources in the wood Balberger Wald SW of Xanten (Germany). On the N and E slopes there must have been a series of springs. The aqueduct channel built in the second century partly on arcades, conveyed the water over the valley to the present day town of Xanten. The last past, just before the water entered the SE Vetera gate of CUT was also arcaded. Of the conduit and the substructure almost no visible remains are left in situ. Three cuts were dug out the Walberger Wald and were transported to the Archaeological Park Xanten - the well equipped open-air museum on the site of CUT, see APX - to the backyard of a restaurant just outside the nearby village of Labbeck and to a site close to the windmill of Sonsbeck 'Auf der Mauer'.

The course of the aqueduct inside the CUT is hardly traceable nor the Castellum Divisorium has been found. Some remains of wells, reservoirs and sewers were found and partly reconstructed in the APX-museum area.

A second aqueduct fed by springs in the S slope of the hills called Die Hees did not feed CUT, as stated in earlier publications, but brought water to the nearby army camp castra Vetera II. The present 'Drusus' spring may give a global impression about one of the may sources of the Vetera aqueduct.
There are clear distinctions between the CUT and the Vetera aqueducts both in terms of the difference in level and the construction characteristics. The two systems seem to have operated separately. The army tile-works, however, received their water from the CUT aqueduct.

Wilke D. Schram

Xanten - COLONIA ULPIA TRAIANA

Item Info
Length 8,7 km
Cross-section 0,23m x ?? m
Volume ?? m3/day
Gradient 0,04 %
Period Early 2nd Century
Features



Recommended literature : H. Berkel: Reste römischer Wasserleitungen im Raum Xanten, in: Xantener Berichte vol 12 (2002) pag 129
Recommended website : Archaeological Park Xanten
How to visit : for the CUT area, see the recommended website. For separate parts of the aqueduct, see description above

HOME More literature on more aqueducts Last modified: March 25, 2005 - Wilke D. Schram
(W.D.Schram 'at' romanaqueducts.info)



Xanten

Behind Restaurant Labbeck

Cut of the conduit I

Cut of the conduit II

The built up

In the museum park

Cross section

Side in detail

Cut in Sonsbeck, overview

Cut in Sonsbeck, detail

'Drusus' spring'

Subterranean channel

Settling basin of the spring

Supply of water

Water reservoir

Drawing of the water reservoir

Quaterround of the reservoir

Reconstructed well

Explanation of the well