Walking on an Ancient Battlefield,
Reading History on the Ground

- Walking
- Pavilions
- Museum
- Landscape

Due to numerous archeological finds, the site in the north-
western part of Germany near Kalkriese is considered to be the location of the famous Battle of the Teutoburg Forest/ Varus Battle between the Romans and Germanic tribes in the year 9 AD.
The interventions, the architectural means employed and the landscape design, are minimal and primarily abstract. A few measures spark the visitor’s imagination of the events that took place in this landscape: the visualization of the former rampart with iron poles, trees cleared away and reforestation, a partial ›reconstruction‹ of the former, lower terrain, three pavilions as well as three path systems on the grounds. Irregularly placed large iron slabs retrace the possible route of the Roman Legions and form a path for visitors to access the former battlefield. A net-like pattern of wood-chip paths symbolizes the positions of the Germanic warriors, their camouflage, their silent attack. Contemporary agricultural gravel paths allow visitors to ›switch sides‹. Proceeding from one iron slab to the next on the so called ›Roman path‹, visitors collect pieces of information from the ground, not unlike archeological work. Step by step, an image of the historical battle forms in their minds.

Project Archeological Museum and Park Kalkriese, Germany
Architects Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer in close collaboration with
Landscaping Zulauf Seippel Schweingruber
Scenography Integral Concept, Ruedi Baur, Lars Müller
Realization  1998, 1st Prize, 1999-2002 
Client  Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land GmbH 
  Museum and Park Kalkriese, Germany 

2011–12, video installation
Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer
with Severin Kuhn (film) and
videocompany.ch (production technology)

^