Marcomagus

Marcomagus was a Roman settlement along the road from Trier to Cologne, marked on ancient maps like the Antonine Itinerary and the Peutinger Table. It lay between the modern villages of Marmagen and Nettersheim, where the Urft river flows. Archaeologists have found dense traces of temples, workshops and roads, showing a busy centre in the Roman period.

The site’s importance comes from its role in the Eifel water supply. Nearby, at Grüner Pütz, the start of the Roman Eifel aqueduct can be seen. This channel carried water more than 90 kilometres to Cologne. A high number of coins, tools and building remains proves the place flourished for centuries.

Today a landscape park near Nettersheim lets visitors walk among partial reconstructions. The Görresburg shrine stands partly rebuilt, while streets of Roman strip-houses and the outline of a small fort can be traced. The surroundings are quiet farmland and woodland, where the old roads still shape the paths.