The ideal type of a Roman house: the Pompejanum
In Aschaffenburg, on the high banks of the Main River not far from Johannisburg Castle, stands a building that clearly stands out from its surroundings with its Mediterranean-style, striking yet simple architecture: the Pompejanum. Inspired by the excavations in Pompeii, King Ludwig I had the building constructed between 1840 and 1848 by Munich architect Friedrich von Gärtner, modelled on the House of the Dioscuri there. The interior was completed two years later. As a unique example of a Roman residential building on German soil, the Pompejanum provides a vivid picture of the appearance and living conditions in a Roman townhouse of the early imperial period, as we know it from the Vesuvian cities on the Gulf of Naples.
The rooms of the house are arranged around a central atrium, an open-top courtyard (now covered with a glass roof). In addition to bedrooms and dining rooms, the ground floor features a representative reception hall, the house garden, the kitchen, a toilet and numerous rooms for the staff, who usually consisted of slaves. The living rooms and bedrooms of the owner’s family were located on the upper floor. After being destroyed in the Second World War, the Pompejanum was restored and opened to the public in 1994. Most of the ancient artworks on permanent display in the Pompejanum come from the State Collections of Antiquities and the Glyptothek in Munich, which, together with the Bavarian Palace Administration, are responsible for the building as a branch museum. Since 2009, the two Munich institutions have also been presenting annual special exhibitions there.
Visitor information
Opening hours
26 to 31 March: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
April to 3 October: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
4 to 31 October: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mondays closed
Entry fees
€6 standard admission
€5 reduced admission
Free admission for children and young people under 18
When planning your visit, please also note the information on the → website of Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung.
Guided tours of the Pompejanum and the special exhibition for groups (adults and children) in German and several foreign languages are offered by the “Führungsnetz Aschaffenburg” (Aschaffenburg Tour Guide Network). Further information can be found → here. (German)
Children travel back to ancient times via smartphone: You can find a free guided tour of the Pompejanum for children → here. (German)
Contact
Address
Pompejanumstraße 5
63739 Aschaffenburg
Tel. 06021 / 218012
Contact
Schloss- und Gartenverwaltung Aschaffenburg
Schlossplatz 4
63739 Aschaffenburg
Tel. 06021/386570