Amphitheatre

The Amphitheatre can be found at the foot of the Petrisberg. It formed part of the Roman city walls, was built as early as 100 A.D. and had seating for around 20.000 spectators. As in other arenas, the citizens were presented with gladiatorial and animal combats and could decide over life and death.

In the underground cellars the props were kept. Here also were the chambers where men and animals were quartered. The combat arena was used as such only up to the 5th century. In the Middle Ages, the monks of the Himmerod monastery used it as a quarry, and later its slopes were planted with vines.

As early as 1816 excavations had begun on the Amphitheatre, but not until the 1920s and 50s were the foundations researched, so that visitors could see how the theatre originally looked. Today, guided (adventure) tours of the Amphitheatre are available in the summer months. Since 1986 the Amphitheatre has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage.