Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [492]
It’s in the rural flatlands near the town of Neuss, about 20km west of Düsseldorf. Catch a train to Neuss Hauptbahnhof, then bus 860 or 877. By car, exit the A57 at Neuss-West and follow the signs to Raketenstation Hombroich.
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LOWER RHINE
North of Düsseldorf, the Rhine widens and embarks on its final headlong rush towards the North Sea traversing the sparsely populated Lower Rhine (Niederrhein). It’s a flat, windswept plain that feels like Holland without the windmills and yields a number of off-beat surprises.
The region has its own airport, the tiny Niederrhein airport ( 02837-666 000) in Weeze, which is used by RyanAir.
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Xanten
02801 / pop 22,000
The hub of the Lower Rhine, Xanten was founded as a Roman military camp in 12 BC and within a century grew into a respectable settlement called Colonia Ulpia Traiana. At its peak, some 15,000 people milled about town, enjoying a surprisingly high standard of living. Xanten’s medieval heyday is best symbolised by the majestic Dom that dominates the tangled old town with its stately gates, cheerful mills and historic fountains. The town is also the mythological birthplace of Siegfried, the dragon-slaying hero of the 12th-century Nibelungen epic, which became the subject of Richard Wagner’s Ring opera cycle 700 years later. Starting in 2010, the new Museum Nibelungen(h)ort zeroes in on the saga and its impact through history.
ORIENTATION
Xanten is about 60km north of Düsseldorf. The compact Altstadt is about a 10-minute walk northeast of the Bahnhof (train station) via Hagenbuschstrasse or Bahnhofstrasse. The Archäologischer Park (Archaeological Park) is a further 15 minutes northwest of here.
INFORMATION
The tourist office ( 983 00; www.xanten.de; Kurfürsten-strasse 9; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat, noon-4pm Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat Nov-Mar) is right in the Altstadt, close to the Markt (market square) and Dom.
SIGHTS
Altstadt
The crown jewel of Xanten’s Altstadt is the Dom St Viktor ( 713 10; Kapitel 8; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-6pm Sun Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar), which has Romanesque roots but is now largely Gothic. It is framed by a walled close, called an ‘Immunity’, which can only be entered from the Markt.
The soaring five-nave interior brims with treasures, reflecting the wealth Xanten enjoyed in the Middle Ages. Foremost among them is the Marienaltar, halfway down the right aisle, whose base features an intricately carved version of the Tree of Jesse by Heinrich Douvermann (1535). The candelabrum in the central nave, with its Doppelmadonna (Double Madonna, 1500), is another masterpiece. A stone sarcophagus in the crypt holds the remains of St Viktor, the Roman martyr who became Xanten’s patron saint.
More treasures, including reliquaries, sculptures and graphics, will again be on view once the Stiftsmuseum (Monastic Museum) reopens in 2010.
Archäologischer Park
The old Roman colony has been reborn as the Archäologischer Park (Archaeological Park; 2999; Wardter Strasse 2; adult/child/family €9/4.50/18, incl RömerMuseum & Grosse Thermen; 9am-6pm Mar-Nov, 10am-4pm Dec-Feb), an open-air museum that features faithfully reconstructed structures to help amateurs visualise what the Roman town looked like. The originals were torn down and used in building the medieval town.
The self-guided tour takes you past such sites as the Amphitheatre, which seats 12,000 people during Xanten’s summer music festival; the Spielehaus, where you can play early versions of backgammon and Nine Men’s Morris; a Roman hostel complete with hot baths and restaurant; and the majestic Hafentempel (harbour temple). Kids