Römische Kalkbrennerei Iversheim

The Roman lime kiln at Iversheim stands on the northern edge of the Sötenicher limestone trough in the Eifel hills. It was built and run by soldiers of the Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix and Legio I Minervia between about 150 and 300 AD. Six pear-shaped kilns once stood under a wooden-roofed hall thirty metres long, fed from a quarry above the valley slope. The site was found in 1966 during pipe-laying and excavated by the Rhineland antiquities office. A protective roof now covers three of the kilns, while a fourth has been restored for firing trials. One intact load of dolomite inside an unearthed kiln suggests the works were abandoned in haste. The unusual design places the stoke hole two metres above the floor, with a ledge above it to support the stone dome during firing. Visitors walk beneath the shelter to see the three exposed kilns and displays of the excavation. Outside, the reconstructed kiln stands ready for demonstration burns. The valley view and the quiet fields above recall the original setting where soldiers turned local stone into lime for nearby building sites.