The walls and towers
They fooled early explorers into seeing a camp.
Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0
Felix Romuliana is a Roman complex of palaces and temples near the village of Gamzigrad in eastern Serbia, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among the most important late Roman sites in Europe, built by Emperor Galerius at the place of his birth. Construction began in 298, after Galerius's victory over the Sasanian Empire, and the site took the name of his mother, Romula. The complex honoured her, marked his deeds and served as his luxurious villa. Early explorers took it for a military camp because of its many towers, until systematic excavations from 1953 showed it was an imperial palace, and in 1984 an archivolt with the inscription FELIX ROMULIANA came to light. The Huns plundered it in the mid 5th century, and it was abandoned early in the 7th. A walk takes in massive walls, gates and towers, and within them two temples, two palaces, baths and traces of mosaics. On nearby Magura hill stand two mausolea where Galerius and his mother were buried. Many of the finest finds, including imperial portraits in porphyry, are displayed at the museum in Zaječar. The site is 68 km in a straight line from Niš, and the mountain road is longer, so a car or organised tour works best. It is exposed, so bring a hat and water in summer. Zaječar is close, so add its museum if you want to see the finds up close.
They fooled early explorers into seeing a camp.
The heart of the imperial complex.
The mausolea of Galerius and Romula.
Gamzigrad, near Zaječar, eastern Serbia
From Romula, mother of Emperor Galerius. An inscription found in 1984 confirmed the name.
Yes, by car or tour. It is 68 km in a straight line, and the road is longer.