Enns

Enns holds a town charter of 1212, the oldest in Austria, and it stands on much older ground: Lauriacum, a legionary fortress and civil settlement of some size on the Danube limes, lay here, and the excavated material fills the town museum - including evidence of the early Christian community and of Florian, the Roman official martyred nearby who became the patron saint against fire. The town square is dominated by the Stadtturm, a free-standing Renaissance tower of 1568 about sixty metres high, built as a watchtower and climbable. Around it are arcaded houses, the Basilika St Laurenz built over layers of Roman and early medieval buildings that are excavated and visible beneath it, and a section of town wall. The Danube limes is inscribed by UNESCO.

History

People settled where the Enns meets the Danube some 4,000 years ago, Celts came around 400 BC, and in the 2nd and 3rd centuries the Roman camp of Lauriacum, with up to 6,000 soldiers, stood on the site of the town; the civil settlement beside it, today Lorch, became a municipium under Caracalla in 212, with about 30,000 people. Saint Florian, a Roman officer, was drowned in the Enns at Lauriacum on 4 May 304, an early Christian basilica rose about 370 on the remains of a temple of Jupiter, and Lauriacum was the seat of a bishop until 488. About 900 the Enisiburg fortress was built on the Georgenberg, the margraves of Styria set up a market in the 12th century, the Georgenberg Pact of 1186 brought Styria and Enns to the Babenbergs in 1192, and in 1212 Duke Leopold VI granted the town its charter (Wikipedia, Enns - town).

Highlights

• A 1212 town charter - the oldest in Austria, on the square that dates from it.
• The Stadtturm - the free-standing 1568 watchtower, sixty metres, climbable.
• Roman Lauriacum - the legionary site excavated and shown in the museum.
• Excavations under the basilica - Roman and early medieval layers open beneath the floor.

When to go

April to October; the tower and museum are seasonal. Half a day.

Things to know

The tower and museum keep seasonal hours and close Mondays. The Roman remains are largely below ground or in cases, not standing. The town is small - half a day is enough.

Nearby

Mauthausen is across the Danube; Linz is west; Steyr is south.

Key facts