Roman river longship in Bratislava
On Sunday, 13 October, a replica of the Roman rowboat Danuvina Alacris (translated as “Living Danube”) will sail to the Gate of Freedom under Devín Castle. During Sunday afternoon, the boat will remind the glorious history of the times when the Danube River formed the borders of the Roman Empire. It was the international archaeological site Borders of the Roman Empire that got Bratislava on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021. Danuvina Alacris will arrive in Bratislava on the Danube at 12.30 and will be on display for the public on the Morava River until 16.30.
The late-Romantic ship of the Lusoria type, christened Danuvina Alacris, was built by the Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg under the direction of Professor Boris Dreyer between July 2020 and July 2022 using Roman craft methods. Two wrecks discovered during the construction of the Hilton Hotel in Mainz served as a template for the builders in the construction of the rowboat.
The construction of the ship replica was part of the EU Interreg DTP project “Living Danube Limes”, which brought together 19 international partners along the Danube. From July to October 2022, the Roman rowing boat Danuvina Alacris sailed for the first time on the Danube – the frontier of the Roman Empire. It visited countries linked by the region’s shared Roman history, including Slovakia, where it stayed for four days. This time she will stay longer, until the end of June next year.
A unique experience at Devín
At the end of September, Danuvina Alacris was still in Tulln, Austria. In Bratislava, we will welcome the rowboat at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers at the Gate of Freedom. In Devín, visitors can see the rowboat for themselves during Sunday afternoon.
Curious visitors will learn interesting facts about the construction of the boat directly from the author, Professor Boris Dreyer.
Adventurous characters can also hang out with the Roman crew. These will be short cruises during which visitors can experience how the Romans patrolled the frontiers. You must register for the rowing in advance using the form on the website of the Municipal Institute for the Preservation of Monuments in Bratislava.
“The public can watch the arrival of the boat from Devín Castle. It is precisely for the unrepeatable perspective that we decided to prepare a boat stop on Devín. The rowboat will be moored on the Morava River for safety reasons, so that people can see the boat up close and, of course, so that they can try rowing,” describes Margaréta Musilová, an archaeologist at the Municipal Institute for Monument Preservation.
Visitors to Devín can look forward to an engaging afternoon programme prepared by the MÚOP in cooperation with BKIS and the Museum of the City of Bratislava – a fun workshop for families with children and an archaeological interpretation combined with a presentation of the MMB’s collections. The historical group S.C.E.A.R. will perform demonstrations of a Roman duel. For philatelists, we have prepared correspondence cards with a picture of a ship and a commemorative stamp “Roman rowing boat Danuvina Alacris in Slovakia“.
Programme:
12.30 – 13.15 Watching the Danuvina Alacris sailing from Devín Castle, welcoming crew members and guests under the castle at the Gate of Freedom. It is better to arrive in advance at 12.30 and enjoy the unique view of the cruise from Devín Castle.
13.15 – 13.30 Performance of the Roman legionaries S.C.E.A.R.
13.30 – 14.00 The story of the Roman rowing boat Danuvina Alacris as told by its builder Professor Boris Dreyer from the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg
14.00 – 16.30 Archaeological interpretation combined with a presentation of the collections of the Bratislava City Museum and a workshop for families with children in the grounds of Devín Castle
14.00 – 16.00 Rowing on the Morava River accompanied by members of the crew. One cruise lasts up to 15 minutes and it is necessary to book in advance
12.30 – 16.30 All afternoon you can explore the replica of the Roman rowboat on the Morava River, see the models and exhibition about the rowboat, get a correspondence card with a commemorative stamp of the Slovak Post with the motif of Danuvina Alacris, choose a pendant or a copy of the Roman coin in the stand of František Engel.
16.30 Farewell to the crew – the rowboat will sail to Karlova Ves and on Monday to Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, where it will find its new home until June 2025.
And what next?
From Devín, the ship will gradually move to a safe harbour, which will become the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum by June next year. The Danuvina’s voyage to Danubiana will be viewable from the banks and bridges of the capital on Monday morning.
“We are very pleased that the Danuvina Alacris will find its Slovak home in a museum of modern art that is built in the form of a Roman gallery. The management of Danubiana has prepared a custom-made pier for the Roman rowboat. Here it will be on display for visitors during next spring. In cooperation with Danubiana, STM – Museum of Transport in Bratislava and BTB, we plan to prepare other events for the public related to the presentation of the Roman rowing boat, which we will inform about at the beginning of the year,” said Margaréta Musilová.
