Discover Petronell-Carnuntum

In Petronell-Carnuntum, evidence of ancient Carnuntum meets medieval architectural history and the landscape of the Petronell Au. When planning your trip, you can choose different points of focus: the reconstructed Roman city, archaeological structures and museum finds, circular trails through the town, or nature and waterways.

Roman City Quarter and Ancient Structures

The Roman City Quarter is a reconstructed section of a Roman city quarter on its original site. A visit offers a glimpse of ancient Carnuntum in the early 4th century. The amphitheatre of the civil city adds to the picture of the Roman past: it was built outside the ancient city walls at the end of the 2nd century AD and could accommodate around 13,000 people. From the Roman City Quarter, you can reach the amphitheatre in about a ten-minute walk. This makes it possible to include the two archaeological sites as separate stops in your day’s itinerary.

Heidentor and Auxiliary Fort Museum

The Heidentor was once a quadrifrons: a monument with double passageways set over four pillars. This architectural term describes its distinctive design; its historical classification should be distinguished from the structure’s appearance today.

The Auxiliary Fort Museum displays finds from the auxiliary fort and its southern forecourt. Numerous informative panels explain the fort’s function and life there. The junction structure of a drinking-water pipeline and a main sewer channel of the cavalry camp was also excavated at the museum and preserved in a purpose-built protective structure. The preserved structure is open to the public; check the latest visitor information before your visit.

Rotunda Chapel and Further Architectural History

The Rotunda Chapel, also known as St John’s Chapel, is one of Austria’s oldest and most valuable Romanesque buildings. It dates from the first half of the 12th century and was built using ashlar masonry. A Gothic side chapel, the so-called Florian Chapel, was added to the parish church in the 15th century. Petronell-Carnuntum Castle provides another point of reference in this timeline: its construction began in the 11th century.

Distinguishing the Circular Trails and Walks

The Long Circular Trail starts at Carnuntum Archaeological Park and passes all 26 attractions. The Short Circular Trail also starts there, leads through Petronell-Carnuntum to the Heidentor, and then returns. The two circular trails thus differ in their stated destinations: the Long Trail takes in the attractions, while the Short Trail goes through the town to the Heidentor and back.

The Petronell-Carnuntum village walk is an easy 2.72-kilometre hike that takes about 30 minutes and starts and ends at the car park of the Roman City of Carnuntum. Using the “Village Walks” smartphone app, you can listen to stories about the once-thriving Roman metropolis of Carnuntum along the way. The distance and duration provide a specific guide for this walk; the two circular trails, by contrast, are described by their respective routes and destinations.

Petronell Au and Visitor Car Parks

Since 2016, 260 hectares of the Petronell Au have been under the administration of the Danube-Auen National Park Authority. The Au features an extensive network of oxbow lakes and seasonally water-filled ditches. At higher water levels, some of these are partly connected directly to the Danube. The Petronell hiking trail starts at the visitor car park at the end of Lange Gasse, signposted as “Car Park for Au Forest Visitors”.

There is a free visitor car park right next to the entrance at each site of the Roman City of Carnuntum. As parking regulations may change, check them before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Bruck An Der Leitha, Höflein Bei Bruck An Der Leitha, Hainburg An Der Donau, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Gallbrunn, Göttlesbrunn-Arbesthal, Haslau-Maria Ellend, Wildungsmauer.

Back to the main travel overview: Bruck An Der Leitha.