Regensburg (dpa/lby) - The Danube Limes in Bavaria has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since last year as part of the "borders of the Roman Empire". In Mariaort near Regensburg, three replicas of Roman galleys from the Universities of Regensburg and Erlangen-Nuremberg docked on Monday.
At the mouth of the Naab in the Danube, those interested could see the ships named "Regina", "Danuvina Alacris" and "F.A.N." visit. The galleys are under the motto "Journey without limits. World Heritage Danube Limes: With Roman boats through Europe".
In this area near Regensburg, the Romans were actually often on the move with such ships because an invasion by the enemy was likely there, explained Heinrich Konen, the academic director at the Chair of Ancient History in Regensburg. "You have to assume that there was constant patrol."
The legionnaires of the Legio III Italica Antoniniana of the Regensburg Association of Friends of Ancient History provided insights into Roman camp life during the presentation. For children there was, among other things, a Roman writing room. The Department of Ancient History presented experiments on ancient iron smelting.
The cross-border Danube Limes runs within the Free State through Lower Bavaria and a bit through the Upper Palatinate. The World Heritage project affects the cities of Kelheim, Neustadt an der Donau, Passau, Regensburg, Straubing, the municipality of Künzing and the districts of Deggendorf and Kelheim.
Unesco ascribes an "outstanding universal value" to the Danube Limes by including it in the World Heritage List. The Limes stretched from Great Britain through Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East to North Africa. The Danube acted as an extension of the fortified border on land. Unesco is aiming for full recognition of the 6000 km long Roman border.
