The beautiful city of Lausanne has in its heart an open space where you can see Roman ruins. These are the remains of the Roman Vicus Lousonna. At that time, the former settlement was located on the shore of Lake Geneva and was probably an important transfer point for goods in the region. The Romans preferred to transport goods by water rather than by land, as it was much cheaper.
About 1500-2000 inhabitants lived in Lousonna at that time. The settlement extended for about 1 kilometer along the lakeshore. According to the information boards at the site, the village was administered from Aventicum (the capital of the Roman Civitas Helvetiorum in the Swiss Mittelland).
WHAT TO SEE ON SITE
Only a small part of the city has been excavated. That part that has been excavated, however, is exciting to walk around. In the center of the site was the Roman Basilica. You can still see the pillars of the portico and the offices that were accessible from the outside. Since the whole building has been uncovered, one can easily see the sheer size of this basilica. One must always keep in mind that Lousonna was not a large city. Also visible are the floor plan of a Gallo-Roman temple and the floor plans of some buildings.
But the most exciting thing for me was the harbor. So far I have not seen any excavated harbor. In general, it is very difficult to get information about Roman port facilities that were located on inland waters.
The former lakeshore, which is now far away, is represented by a pond. In the picture, you can see a stone ramp slightly sloping to the left. This went into the water and thus enabled the loading of smaller ships. On the spot, one can really feel the bustle that must have existed there.
LAUSANNE ROMAN MUSEUM
From the excavations to the Roman Museum it is only a 5-minute walk. The entrance fee is quite reasonable by Swiss standards. But the museum is not very big. The museum was built over the excavation of a Roman house, in which very wealthy inhabitants must have lived. You can see a beautiful reconstruction of the excavated part of Lousonna. There are also some amphorae and other objects that have been found. In the garden, there is also a Roman herb garden. Since I am not really interested in Roman gardens, I skipped this one and therefore cannot report anything about it.
IS IT WORTH A VISIT?
Yes, the excavations are not as spectacular as in Avenches or Augusta Raurica, but you can see a lot. The museum is quite ok. Even though I didn’t see anything that I haven’t already seen in other museums (except for the exceptionally beautiful city model).
Overview
| Location | Google Maps Link |
| Worth seeing | Excavations: Yes, Museum: Yes |
| What to see | Lots of wall remains and a mosaic (by the road). In the museum finds from the settlement. |
| Duration | 30 minutes (outside), 15 minutes (museum) |
| Parking | A lot at the excavations. |
| Website | https://www.lausanne.ch/vie-pratique/culture/musees/mrv;jsessionid=876DFDDF64001AD013D614AF8205F753 |
| Admission | Outside: free, museum: see website |
