Crossing borders along the Dutch Limes
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-03-28

The Roman frontier fort of Zwammerdam is one of the sites along the Lower German limes, along the river Rhine in the west of the Netherlands. Beside the military fort six Roman shipwrecks are discovered. The ships represent the typical character of the Lower German limes as a river frontier, built in wetland, serving as a main transport route connecting the Germanic and Gallic hinterland with the North Sea basin. For this reason the ships play a principal role in the tourist-oriented development of the Lower German limes connected to the UNESCO nomination programme.
The ships were found on the estate Hooge Burch, now owned by Ipse de Bruggen, an institute for people with multiple disabilities. Due to new medical insights and growing individualism, ideas have now changed regarding the relationship between clients and the rest of society. Cuts in health care also influence local changes and the treatments available. This and other developments made Ipse de Bruggen decide to realise more interaction between clients and visitors on the Hooge Burch. The ambitions of both the limes network and Ipse de Bruggen resulted in a joint venture on the Hooge Burch, with the objective of establishing a first-class visitors’ center combining an exhibition with a Roman trail on the Roman part of the estate. After forty years, the discovery of the Roman barges has led to the realisation of a first-class limes visitor center, partly run by people with mental and physical disabilities. Limes Visitor’s Centre NIGRVM PVLLVM opened its doors at April 15th 2016.

Author - Hazenberg, Tom, Hazenberg Archeologie, the Netherlands (Presenting author)