A small Roman tower was discovered and excavated in 1930 between Villigen and Mandach, some 10 kilometers to the north of Brugg and a few kilometers to the west of the river Aare. The tower measures only 4 x 4 m., with walls 0.60 m. thick. It is too small to have been a watchtower and must have been a signal post on a hill offering wide panoramic views over the lower Aare Valley and the Black Forest. Many bronze coins were found, mostly from the fourth century. The tower may have been built in the late third or the first half of the fourth century.
View of Mandach. Photo: Wikimedia, Freaktalius.
The remains of the tower in 1930. Photo: Laur-Belart 1930, Taf. IX,2.
Literature
Laur-Belart 1930; Hartmann-Weber 1985, 204-205; Drack-Fellmann 1988, 534.
[1-Oct-2023]
