Many ancient civilizations have left traces of their former grandeur under the ground in Manching. Now ours has made a new contribution to the town’s surface, by way of the construction of a museum for local Celtic and Roman archeological excavations. During the construction of an airbase in 1936, workers discovered a huge collection of Celtic coins, tools and jewelry from the third century BC. In 1986, archaeologists digging in the area discovered a Celtic settlement and two fifteen-meter Roman patrol ships in the dry riverbed of the Brautlach, buried since 50 AD. The objects and others pertaining to the two civilizations are now on display in the new museum (a branch of the Prähistorische Staatssammlung in Munich), designed by Munich architect Florian Fischer. Who knows what future civilizations will make of this distinctly 21st-century structure—designed, Fischer says, to look like a giant display case. The stark linear simplicity of the façade belies the diversity of innovative designs embodied by the exhibition halls. This building is as much a piece of art as the objects it houses, and the museum’s beautiful natural surroundings provide the perfect frame.
The Kelten Römer Museum is accessible by the A9 (Exit 63, then the B16 1 km to city center). Alternatively, visitors may wish to take the city bus 16 from the Ingolstadt Hauptbahnhof to the Schlossberg stop. See the museum's website or call (08459) 32 37 30 for more details (website in German). Visiting hours are March 1–Oct. 31 Tues.–Fri. 9:30 am–4:30 pm; Sat., Sun. 10:30 am–5:30 pm; closed Mondays. From Nov. 1–Feb. 28, hours are Tues.–Fri. 9:30 am-3:30 pm; Sat., Sun. 10:30 am–4:30 pm; closed Mondays. Tickets are € 4 for adults, € 1.50 for children, students and civil service agents, € 8 for families with two parents, and € 5 for single parents with children. Children under 6 are free.
