News and Events
Saturnalia! Festivals of Light and Abundance
On 6 December 2025, a thematic event dedicated to the Roman Saturnalia, the festivals of the winter solstice and abundance, took place at the Mušov Visitor Centre. The programme introduced visitors to the festive season in ancient Rome through tastings of ancient cuisine inspired by Apicius, candle-making, and demonstrations of period hairstyles and jewellery. The evening also included expert lectures focusing on the Roman presence in South Moravia and on the cultural and religious significance of the winter solstice in a broader historical context. The event combined scholarly interpretation with an experiential approach, offering visitors insight into the everyday life and rituals of ancient Rome. The event is one of the outputs of the Roman Trails project, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg Austria–Czechia programme.
National Meeting with Partners
The Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, and its national strategic partners, the South Moravian Region and the Municipality of Pasohlávky, are organizing the first meeting of participants and interested parties (a stakeholder meeting and workshop) on 14 November 2025. At this event, we will present the project “Roman Trails – On the Trail of the Romans in the Weinviertel Region and in South Moravia” (Interreg AT–CZ). During the meeting, the goals, tools, and implementation timeline of the individual project activities will be introduced. The main emphasis, however, will be on a joint discussion about the interest in and possibilities for the involvement of individual sites and partner organizations.
Germania Subacta VI Festival – Ancient Crafts and Life on the Borders of the Roman Empire
Between 29th and 30th August, 2025, the sixth edition of the Germania Subacta festival took place at the Mušov Visitor Centre – Gateway to the Roman Empire and at the archaeological site of Hradisko near Mušov. The festival offered visitors an experiential insight into everyday life in antiquity, with a focus on craftsmanship, metalworking, and the military culture of Roman legionaries and their barbarian adversaries. The programme included interactive demonstrations of ancient crafts, experimental smelting of copper and iron, combat and equestrian performances, gladiatorial games, lectures, and activities for children, culminating in a final battle. Through authentic reconstructions and experimental archaeology, the event brought the world of Roman civilisation closer to the general public. The event was held with the support of the South Moravian Region and the municipality of Pasohlávky and represents one of the outputs of the Roman Trails project, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg Austria–Czechia programme.
The Marcomannic Wars – a brief episode in Roman history, or an event that triggered the transformation of Europe?
On 2 August 2025, a full-day thematic event dedicated to the Roman army during the Marcomannic Wars in the second half of the 2nd century AD took place at the Mušov Visitor Centre – Gateway to the Roman Empire. Throughout the day, visitors experienced demonstrations of camp life, legionary equipment and weaponry, guided tours of the military camp, expert lectures, and presentations of archaeological research conducted in the area surrounding the centre. The programme culminated in a joint march to the hillfort of Hradisko u Mušova. The event was part of the project “Do All Roads Lead from Rome? Mušov as a Destination of Roman Military Expansion into Our Territory and a Key Hub of Roman-Era Overland and River Routes (Reflection of Research Results and Their Dissemination to Visitors to the Region)”, supported by the Regional Cooperation Programme of the Czech Academy of Sciences in 2024–2025. The event also represents one of the outputs of the Roman Trails project, co-financed by the European Union within the Interreg Austria–Czech Republic programme.