Ausonius Way: the old Roman road

The route along the ridge of Hunsrück, as well as a number of other ridge paths in the region, date back to Bronze Age but could actually have much earlier origins. The rapid development of connecting roads during the Roman occupation (58 BC - 402 AD) is historically well documented. Shortly after their conquest of the region, the Romans rebuilt all the existing trade routes as "stone roads", cutting straight across the landscape, which were marked by milestones and guarded by watchtowers at regular intervals. The network of the overland routes was complemented by supplementary or 'vicinal' roads. The result was permanent roads with a very complex structure, made up of multiple layers, whose ingenious composition has remained intact for many centuries. All the transportation routes were, according to Roman standards, about 5 or 6 meters wide, so that two carts could easily pass each other. There were also road maps on which the most important stages were marked. An impressive example of one such road map has been handed down to us in the form of the Tabula Peutingeriana. It comes from Reichenau Cloister on an island by the same name in the lower part of Bodensee (so named after the learned Konrad Peutinger, 1465-1547). As the main axis of Hunsrück, used by armies and as a trade route, Via Ausonia connected the regions of Mainz (Moguntiacum) and Bingen (Bingium) to the imperial city of Trier (Augusta Treverorum) in Late Antiquity. The road known today as "Ausonius Way" is named after the poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius, who, in 370 AD, traveled by coach through the Hunsrück region from Mainz to Trier to take up a position as educator and tutor at the imperial court. He immortalized his impressions of the journey in his poem "Mosella". The connecting road across the Hunsrück region was, however, already indirectly mentioned in the much earlier historical writings of Publius Cornelius Tacitus (55-116 AD).

The historic Ausonius Way has been highlighted by the Hunsrück Society (association for the advancement of cultural heritage) and can be walked over long distances, passing by Bingen, Rheinböllen, Simmern, Kirchberg, Dill, Hochscheid, Belginum, Gräfendhron, Fell, and Trier. If you travel in 20 km stages, the entire trip would take about a week: Stage 1 Bingen-Rheinböllen (22 km), Stage 2 Rheinböllen-Kirchberg (23 km), Stage 3 Kirchberg-Hochscheid (17 km), Stage 4 Hochscheid-Gräfendhron (22 km), Stage 5 Gräfendhron-Fell (21 km), and the last stage Fell-Trier (13 km).

The Roman watchtower (reconstructed) shown above is on the edge of the forest above the little village of Dill, which can be seen from afar on a well maintained segment of the historic Ausonius Way. The nearby parking lot for hikers is a practical starting point to experience a longer part of the 2000 year old road "under your feet". With your first steps the significance of this old transportation route immediately becomes clear, for the arrangement of the route is truly an impressive choice. So the hiker literally senses the thousand-year-old history of the region passing by under his feet. After returning to the starting point, you should not miss paying a visit to the small village of Dill, for it offers an interesting church and a mighty castle from the year 1107. This castle came into the possession of the Counts of Sponheim, a bit later, but it was never of great military importance. Dill lies within a small loop of the Dill creek somewhat off to the side of the Hunsrück Heights Road ("Hunsrückhöhenstraße"), about 5 km west of Kirchberg.

For further infomation: Staudt Berthold, Die Ausoniusstraße —eine römische Wanderstraße im Hunsrück; 3. Auflage. DMC-Druck, Sohren 2001