Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, Roman archaeological site in Cologne, Germany
Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium was a Roman settlement on the left bank of the Rhine that served as an administrative center and military base. Remains of the city wall, gates and towers mark the course of the ancient fortification over several kilometers.
Emperor Claudius founded the colony in the year 50 and thus elevated an existing settlement to a city with Roman law. As capital of the province Germania Inferior, it developed into an important center on the Rhine frontier.
The name preserves the memory of Agrippina the Younger, who was born here and secured colonial status for her hometown. Public buildings such as the theater and forum showed Roman lifestyle along the Rhine.
The Romano-Germanic Museum shows finds from different areas of the ancient city and provides an overview of life in the colony. Several preserved sections of the fortification are located in the present-day city center and can be visited during a walk.
Archaeologists found remains of a library from the 2nd century that offered space for more than 20,000 scrolls. This discovery is considered the oldest evidence of such an institution on German soil.
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