Tulln: Roman remains and the old town

In Marc-Aurel-Park, conserved remains mark the eastern gate of Comagenis. Its Latin name is porta principalis dextra. The gate belonged to a Roman cavalry fort beside the Danube. It had neighbouring passageways and flanking towers. Foundations survive, together with a wedge stone and a supporting stone from the gate arches. A protective building covers the excavation behind the town museum.

The fort occupied a gravel terrace between the mouths of the Große Tulln and Kleine Tulln rivers. A stone fort followed an earlier timber-and-earth enclosure. The gateway formed part of that stone defence. Sandstone from the Wienerwald was used for its masonry. Roman mortar bound the stones, and the surfaces were plastered. The surviving elements let you examine the arrangement of the entrance without mistaking the remains for a complete standing gateway.

Comagenis was also connected with civilian life. Excavations west and south of the fort have revealed a settlement outside the military enclosure. Burial grounds lay beyond the fort area. The Danube Limes linked military sites along the Roman frontier. The nearby Roman museum displays finds from Comagenis, including vessels, tools, jewellery and everyday objects.

On site: Look beneath the protective structure from outside and compare the foundations with the gate plan. This stop is at the surviving eastern gate; Comagena names the whole fort. Continue via Franz-Zant-Allee and Wiener Straße to Kirchengasse. Allow extra time if you visit the museum.

Behind St Stephen’s parish church stands the Karner, also known as the Chapel of the Three Kings. This late Romanesque building combines an upper chapel with an ossuary underneath. Bones from the cemetery that once surrounded the parish church were collected in the lower room. Karner is the local term for this type of building. The chapel above is dedicated to the Three Kings.

The exterior has an eleven-sided plan, while the interior is round and covered by a dome. The apse faces east. The entrance instead points north-west towards Wiener Straße. A restored outdoor staircase leads to the richly ornamented, recessed portal. Its successive columns and arches can be examined from outside. The doorway and apse thus occupy different sides of the building.

The chapel’s wall paintings depict biblical figures and scenes. Christ appears as judge in the apse, with Michael fighting a dragon above it. Other images show the wise and foolish virgins with their oil vessels and the Three Kings adoring the infant Jesus. This contrast forms part of the room’s religious imagery. An accompanied visit is required to see the interior; the portal is the focus of this outdoor stop.

On site: From the square, examine the wall divisions, then the portal’s columns and arches. Interior visits are available only from June to September, on Fridays and Saturdays by arrangement through the Karner’s operator website. Otherwise, continue to the neighbouring parish church.

St Stephen’s parish church stands on Wiener Straße. Romanesque elements, a Gothic choir and Baroque furnishings form parts of the building. Different architectural forms meet on its western side: beneath the Baroque tower roofs is the Romanesque entrance known locally as the Aposteltor, or Apostles’ Gate. Its pillars show half-length relief figures; casts replace the originals, which are held in a museum. Whether the twelve half-length figures represent apostles or bishops of Passau has been interpreted differently.

Inside, pointed arcades open between the central nave and the side aisles. The supporting pillars have an octagonal cross-section. A rib vault spans the choir. From the entrance, you can follow the arrangement of the interior and distinguish the nave from the raised choir.

The marble high altar came from the dissolved Carmelite convent in St. Pölten. Its painting shows the stoning of St Stephen. The choir stalls were transferred from the Carthusian monastery at Gaming. Both altar and stalls therefore came to Tulln from other churches. Outside, the Karner and parish church stand side by side; inside, different building forms and furnishings occupy the same space.

On site: Begin outside at the Aposteltor. If you enter, pause your sightseeing during services and keep to accessible areas. Consult the municipality’s visitor information. Afterwards, follow Wiener Straße west to Rathausplatz.

On Rathausplatz, the Baroque Marian Column stands within a fountain. Tulln sculptor Sebastian Gürner made it for the dyer Franz Josef Krammer and his wife Maria Anna. The monument is carved from Zogelsdorf sandstone. A slender column rises above a rectangular pedestal with scroll-shaped sides. Small angel figures beside it are known in art as putti.

At the top, a Corinthian capital carries further putti. Above them, Mary stands on a globe encircled by a snake. The figure represents the Immaculate Conception. An ornamented inscription panel occupies the entire front of the pedestal. Above it, the column has a rounded, projecting base. Its wording asks for protection against fire, war and hunger. Other panels address Mary as the helper of the poor and comforter of the afflicted. You can compare these written requests with the monument’s carved figures.

The fountain surrounds the column. Planting and places to sit also form part of the square’s layout. Continue to Hauptplatz for the next stop. Its Trinity Column has a sculptural group different from the Marian figure above this fountain.

On site: Walk around the fountain and look for the inscription panel on the pedestal, then the globe and snake above. View the figures from the square. Continue west from Rathausplatz to Hauptplatz.

The Plague and Trinity Column stands on Hauptplatz. Its square pedestal supports a tall column topped by a representation of the Christian Trinity. God the Father and Christ sit above a cloud, with a cross forming part of the group. The Holy Spirit appears as a dove. Angels holding candlesticks stand at the corners of the base. You can examine the monument from its pedestal to the figures above.

It is made of Zogelsdorf sandstone. The town council commissioned the column in connection with the plague. Two stonemasons from Eggenburg worked on it, while Johann Hiernl made the angels. Its different components therefore involve several craftsmen and a sculptor. Reliefs on the pedestal include Mary with the child and St Sebastian.

A balustrade surrounds the column. An iron gate lies on its southern side, and stone slabs cover the ground within the enclosure. Remain outside the boundary on Hauptplatz for this stop. After the Marian Column on Rathausplatz, this is a differently arranged religious sculpture in the town’s public space. The walk continues through Brüdergasse to Minoritenplatz.

On site: Compare the angels on the corners with the group at the top. Find the reliefs of Mary with the child and St Sebastian without entering the enclosure. Continue along Hauptplatz and through Brüdergasse to the church.

The former monastery church of the Friars Minor stands on Minoritenplatz. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St John of Nepomuk. The present hall church was built between 1732 and 1739. Its complex includes a Loreto chapel, a sacristy and a lower church alongside the main interior. The church includes an underground hermitage of four small rooms; according to the municipality, their original purpose is unknown.

Inside, light-coloured walls contrast with the altar area. The nave is white, while red, brown and green polished stucco appears in the apse. Frescoes run along the vaults. They depict scenes from the patron saint’s life, including John preaching and his fall from a bridge. The high-altar image depicts the glory of St John of Nepomuk.

Figures of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist stand by the high altar. Images of St Florian and St Joseph appear among the side altars. The furnishings thus include other saints alongside the cycle devoted to the church’s patron. This church is a separate stop on the walk; the neighbouring monastery building and its later uses come next.

On site: If you can enter, compare the pale nave with the coloured chancel. The subsidiary rooms require a guided visit arranged through the tourist information office. Otherwise, view the church from Minoritenplatz.

Beside the church stands the former monastery of the Friars Minor. The order was established in Tulln during the Middle Ages, at the north-western corner of the town. The lower storey contains remains of earlier church buildings and a display about the building’s history. The community left during the Reformation and later returned. The monastery received a Baroque replacement building and was put to other uses after the religious community ended. From 1827 the building housed a military school, and later barracks.

When the complex was converted into pioneer barracks, the monastery wings were extended and additional storeys were added. During the later conversion for public functions, the courtyard received a freestanding roof. Archaeological investigations in the courtyard yielded new findings about the site.

The former monastery is Tulln’s town hall and offers rooms for events. The Minoritensaal has a terrace overlooking the Danube and Donaulände. The Minoritenkeller has access to the monastery garden between the building and river. To complete the walk, return to the riverside and follow it east to the Roman Tower, your starting point.

On site: View the complex from Minoritenplatz; entry to offices or event rooms is not part of this walk. Return via Nibelungenplatz to the Donaulände, then follow the river east to the Roman Tower.