After years of redesign, the former Archaeological Garden has now been reopened with a completely new concept as the Imperial Palace francornofurd - another building block towards the final completion of the DomRömer area. From now on, the Imperial Palace is a branch of the Archaeological Museum, which its director Dr. Wolfgang David was very pleased about in his opening speech. However, it is not a museum in the actual sense, but a place where the origins of the city are visible and city history can be walked and experienced.
When it became known a few years ago that the Archaeological Garden was to be covered over, resistance was first stirred among many. Not least because this place offered a really great backdrop for summer open-air theatre performances, but also because critics feared - as with the rest of the new Old Town - a "Disneyfication" of an important piece of the city's history. But it was precisely the importance of the Archaeological Garden that David's predecessor, Prof. Egon Wamers, who led the project to the end, felt made the superstructure necessary. The monument would have suffered not only from the weather, but also from the influence of humans and animals.
The badly damaged masonry has now been extensively renovated in recent years and damaged parts of the wall have been repaired. In addition, the circular bath of the older Roman thermal baths was reconstructed and didactically prepared. In addition, visitors can admire a beautiful bronze model of the Carolingian imperial palace. Information is provided by various displays with text and images. Protected from the weather and barrier-free, the Imperial Palace francornofurd is intended to become a focal point for passers-by and tourists and a complement to the Museum Embankment North. It is intended to be a place that conveys the origins of the city without the didactic index finger.
The Kaiserpflanz francornofurd is now open daily from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm. Admission is free.Let's just hope that, despite the decision to leave this area completely unattended and without video surveillance, the archaeological finds are not graffitied or otherwise damaged.
