On July 18, 2024, the Danuvina Alacris, the lusoria-type Roman ship faithfully reconstructed as part of the Living Danube Limes project, continued its journey as part of the ReConnecting Cruise 2023-2027 and was transferred from Tulln to the next project partner country - the Czech Republic - where it can be visited until the beginning of September at the modern upper Mušov Reservoir (Mušovská) in the municipality of Pasohlávky. The nearby archaeological visitor center Brána do Římské říše, which is run by the Archaeological Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Brno, provides an insight into the Roman history of the region and will host various activities related to the Roman ship during the summer months.
Although the Czech Republic has no access to the Danube, so there were naturally no Roman patrol boats to secure the Roman river border in this region, and the modern reservoir has only existed since the 1970s, we know very well today of a Roman presence in this region from the time of the Marcomannic Wars in the 2nd century AD:
On the hill of Hradisko near Mušov, a village abandoned after the Second World War about 2 km east of Pasohlávky, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius established a military base in the years 172-180 AD, which probably served as an outpost in the Germanic tribal area about 90 km north of the border of the Roman Empire at the time of the Marcomannic Wars.
Following the arrival of the Danuvina Alacris and its launch on the lake, an event was held on 19 July 2024. Various Roman re-enactment groups gave the many visitors to the nearby water park an authentic insight into Roman life on the north bank of the Danube. In addition to the Roman re-enactment performances, there were a number of lectures on topics such as the construction of the Roman ship as part of the Living Danube Limes project, current research on Roman horsemen, and the newly designed exhibition and its archaeological exhibits. Finally, everyone went to the landing stage on the lake to watch the Danuvina Alacris and its rowing crew make their first trip.
After the summer programme in Pasohlávky in the Czech Republic, the Roman ship will return to Austria in September to continue the ReConnecting Cruise further downstream along the Roman Danube Limes. From 10 to 13 October 2024, the Danuvina Alacris will be rowed for four days from Tulln to Bratislava in Slovakia, where she will remain until 2025.
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