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New German Museum Offers Sensual Take on Roman Era

A new museum is set to open at the site of Roman baths at Xanten near the German-Dutch border. The museum aims to help visitors immerse themselves in the architecture, sounds and smells of the Roman settlement.

Germanic and Celtic barbarians, accustomed to living in squat log huts, must have gasped in amazement when they first caught sight of the towering town center of Colonia Ulpia Traiana some 2,000 years ago.

The museum evokes the lofty Roman basilica, which served as a lobby for the baths. The 24-meter (79-foot) building was the height of a modern-day, eight-story apartment and had a gabled roof topped off with red Roman tiles.

Read entire article at Deutsche Welle