Near Zurich (Switzerland) are the remains of a Roman village villa (Villa Rustica). Initially, in the 1st century CE, the building consisted of a simple structure and one large room. With time, the chamber was extended in several stages and received various wings, including a bathhouse, a barn and rooms for servants. The villa was located in the province of Germania Superior.
The villa was part of a larger complex surrounded by walls and was decorated with wall paintings and mosaics. A monumental well was in front of the residence.
Remains of the villa have been known since at least the 19th century. Parts of the mansion were systematically mined since 1963. Since 1970, the complex is an open-air museum, and the ruins can be admired at no extra charge. Most of the walls and ruins are located under the open sky – with the exception of mosaics that have been roofed.
Interestingly, on the site of the open-air ethnographic museum there is a hearth – thus you can spend a pleasant evening by the campfire and surrounded by Roman history.
