Haltern am See 🇩🇪
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Our fourth Ancient Tracks Camp took us to Haltern am See. We spent the night right next to the reconstructed timber-and-earth wall of the former Roman camp Aliso. Alongside the historical program with a guided tour of the Roman Museum, the Escape Room, and Tobi – our “hands-on Roman” – we gathered around the campfire in the evening, sharing stories with like-minded people and enjoying the time together in good company.
Roman camp Aliso
The Roman camp Aliso was one of the most important military sites along the river Lippe and the last Roman camp in Germania Magna after the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. It served the legions as a base during the campaigns to conquer Germania and for years was a central hub for their supply and administration.
Today, the reconstructed timber-and-earth wall makes the scale of the camp visible again and offers an impression of how large it once was. Just a few steps away stands the modern building of the Roman Museum. Numerous original finds, detailed models, and a contemporary exhibition vividly illustrate what life was like for legionaries and auxiliary troops 2,000 years ago.
Our camp
Our program began with getting to know each other and setting up the camp. As a little surprise, everyone received a goodie bag – including the mysterious Roman dodecahedron, which was immediately tried out, though its true purpose still remained a mystery to us. To round off the welcome, we raised a glass of Roman wine.
Shortly afterwards, slave Fortunata appeared at our camp. In character, she vividly told stories of her (possibly once lived) life in Roman Haltern and guided us on a tour of the museum’s outdoor grounds. Afterwards, we explored the exhibition inside the Roman Museum in small groups.
Then came a special highlight: the Escape Room “Escape from Aliso!” in the reconstructed guardhouse. Taking the roles of legionaries, we set out on a special mission to free our centurions and escape from Aliso, which was under siege by Germanic tribes.
We puzzled our way through the riddles and stories in two groups – and managed to escape successfully!
After dinner, there was even more history to experience firsthand with Tobi. He presented and explained the equipment of a Roman auxiliary soldier from the 1st century, matching the era of the camp at Aliso. We learned what a soldier carried in his marching pack – and even got to try for ourselves just how heavy the chain mail alone is!
We ended the evening around the campfire, sharing good conversations about past and upcoming travels, our vehicles, history, and stories.
On Sunday, the museum hosted the “Picnic with the Romans.” We watched the Romans bake bread in the reconstructed field oven and tasted the fresh loaves together with Roman moretum, a savory cheese spread. There was also Roman wine from the Romanushof and fascinating insights into the cuisine of antiquity.
Final Thoughts
Our Ancient Tracks Camps combine the freedom of traveling with hands-on history. In cooperation with museums, we create experiences at places where camping would normally not be possible – sparking curiosity for times long past.
This camp was once again a great success. Many thanks to the Roman Museum in Haltern for the cooperation, to Marco and Nino for their active support, and to our guests for the wonderful time together.
How to get there?
- LWL-Roman Museum in Haltern at Google Maps,
Coordinates: 51°44’20.6″N 7°10’17.9″E
Website: Museum Website
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