Barbara Baths (Barbarathermen)

The Barbara Baths were built in the 2nd century and ranked among the largest thermae in the Roman Empire. Large sections of the substructures remain visible today, and the walking tour is freely accessible. Less touristy than the Imperial Baths, and more impressive in sheer scale.

The sheer scale of the complex makes clear its rank among the Roman baths: covering some 42,000 square meters, it stretched roughly 250 meters long and 145 meters wide. In places, the ancient masonry still rises up to 19 meters high, hinting at the original monumentality of the bathing complex. As in every large Roman bath, visitors moved through a fixed sequence of rooms, from the cold-water bath (frigidarium) through the lukewarm tepidarium to the hot-water bath (caldarium), supplemented by areas for exercise and socializing.

Technically, the Barbarathermen (Baths of Barbara) were state of the art for their time. Underfloor and wall heating on the hypocaust principle warmed the bathing rooms, while aqueducts brought in the large quantities of water required, and high-quality materials such as marble and granite underscored the representative character of the building. After the decline of the Roman Empire, the complex fell into ruin and was used for centuries as a quarry, which is why mostly the underground substructure survives today. It was rediscovered in the 19th century: the first documented excavations took place around 1820, followed by more extensive work from 1878 onward.