Image: Derriere L'Etoile Studios, New York
Neuss will mark the fifth anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage designation of the Lower German Limes with a festival week running from 26 July to 2 August 2026. The programme, titled 'Die Römer kommen - Festwoche Niedergermanischer Limes', is set to unfold across the Clemens Sels Museum Neuss and the Landesgartenschau Neuss grounds, with additional activity in the city of Neuss. The event is presented as a broad public celebration combining archaeology, heritage interpretation and family-friendly participation.
According to the Landesgartenschau Neuss programme, the anniversary week will include numerous events and hands-on activities for all age groups. The schedule reaches its peak on the weekend beginning 31 July, when the site will host a wider set of offerings on the Landesgartenschau grounds, in the Clemens Sels Museum Neuss and in the city itself. The event page identifies the festival as a joint series organised by the Landschaftsverband Rheinland, Landesgartenschau Neuss GmbH, the City of Neuss and the Clemens Sels Museum Neuss.
The opening day on 26 July begins at the Clemens Sels Museum Neuss with an opening matinée, 'Leben am Limes. Neue archäologische Funde in Neuss', at 11:30 a.m. The museum says the matinée will present current results from archaeological excavation firms and, for the first time, the virtual reality experience 'TIMERIDE NOVAESIUM'. Later that day, at 3 p.m., Dr. Carl Pause will lead a curator’s tour of the special exhibition 'Umwelt Landschaft Freiheit. Mensch & Natur im Wandel der Zeit'.
From 27 to 30 July, the museum’s holiday workshop series, 'Limeswoche Ferienspaß', moves outdoors to the Landesgartenschau site. The four workshops, each scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Green Classroom, are designed for children aged six to 12. The sessions are titled 'Essen & Trinken wie die Römer', 'Pflanzenapotheke', 'Zocken wie die Römer' and 'Römische Äpfel mit Birnen vergleichen', reflecting themes of Roman food, plants, games and everyday life. The museum states that each workshop costs 7.50 euros, including materials and reduced child admission.
The central anniversary celebration comes on 31 July with a festive act at 3 p.m. on the Landesgartenschau’s Sparkassen-Bühne. The programme lists musical opening events and a procession by the I. Roemercohorte Opladen, followed by speeches from Reiner Breuer, mayor of Neuss; Thomas Schürmann, president of the Düsseldorf district government; Ulrike Lubek, director of the Landschaftsverband Rheinland; and Prof. Dr. Udo Recker, chair of the German Limes Commission. The same afternoon includes a presentation of a new game about the Limes by Klaus Ottmaier of Pegasus Spiele, a Roman cooking demonstration with David Esser and a science slam devoted to the UNESCO World Heritage Lower German Limes.
Activities continue on 1 and 2 August across the Landesgartenschau and at the museum. The site programme includes a marching camp by the I. Roemercohorte Opladen, a games fair with historical games and book stalls, talks on the Lower German Limes and Roman gardens and plants, and a 3D journey through the Limes with TimeRide. At the museum, visitors can take part in public tours of 'Umwelt Landschaft Freiheit', a family workshop called 'Die Helme des kaiserlichen Roms', an exploration of 'NOVAESIUM. Eine Zeitreise ins antike Neuss' and, on 2 August, 'Römerolympiade - Antikes Spielevergnügen für Groß und Klein'. The festival concludes on 2 August with another curator-led tour of 'Umwelt Landschaft Freiheit'.
