YOUR FORUM FOR PLAY, SPORTS UND LEISURE AREAS
Ancient Roman hydraulic engineering brought to life
In 2005, Rhineland Regional Council (LVR) decided to add a water playground to the existing play area within Xanten's Archaeological Park, an attraction designed to give visitors an impression of what the former Roman settlement of Colonia Ulpia Traiana located here was like. The Romans early mastered the art of controlling water and using it to aid them in the spread of their culture. Hence, when they first occupied the area that we now call the Lower Rhine more than 2000 years ago, they brought their skills in hydraulics with them. And it is now possible in Xanten Archaeological Park to discover through play how these early technological marvels functioned. On a site extending to nearly 2,500 m², water flows and ripples through a widely disseminated system of channels, where it bubbles and accumulates. Families and even whole school classes wade through this water world bare-footed and with trouser legs rolled up or in bathing costumes, where they can control the water and watch how it reacts.
From planning to realisation
The initial concept of the head of education and the architects of the park to show children how Roman hydraulic engineering worked was linked with special requirements. In order to replicate the ancient originals, the playground was to demonstrate, for example, how water was transported into the settlement from the surrounding countryside. Also to be implemented were various water circulation systems of the kind that in the Roman era were used to supply public installations, such as fountains and baths, and provide water to private consumers. Another important feature of the concept was that the playground was to be as barrier-free as possible, ensuring it would be accessible also for children and young people with all kinds of disabilities. Axel Schütze landscape architects based in Cologne drew up the plans for the water playground (going into considerable details with regard to certain aspects) and supervised its construction.
As the Romans used natural stone obtained from the near vicinity of Xanten, it seemed the obvious choice to use local greywacke sandstone on most of the paved areas. Also incorporated were boulders made of greywacke that add an appropriate touch to the character of the playground. The wooden tables and mud tables made of larch wood were produced in a local carpenter's workshop and precisely tailored in terms of dimensions and height, as were the required pressurised pipelines and overflows. Following extensive investigation of the water-table status, it proved possible to actually realise the generally expressed wish to use the groundwater to supply the water playground. As the water playground represents the first time something like this has been constructed in this region, it was necessary to frequently liaise with the health authority and local water authority to ensure that the necessary requirements were met. The water is extracted from a specially-built shaft with an approximate depth of 16 metres. The water supply has been designed so that children can operate it themselves by pressing a button that triggers the necessary electric power while there is also an external system for controlling the water flow. At the beginning of each season (1 May) and on one occasion during high season, the water quality is tested by an analytical laboratory. The channels and basins of the water playground hold some 6000 litres of water. The water run-off and the water that is drained off for purification purposes is diverted into a ditch drainage system so that it seeps back into the original water-table on the site. A closed water circulation system is thus employed.
As there may still be as yet undiscovered Roman finds below the site of the park, all the construction work was overseen for archaeological purposes by the local monument conservation authority.
To create the attraction, 1800 m³ soil had to be moved and the highest point now rises more than 3 m above the adjacent area.
The play features
In the centre of the playground is a Roman-style water tower that, like its ancient predecessor, has a core role with regard to the control of the water flow and distribution. Then as now, various different elevations determine who gets their water first. A main supply line and various secondary supply lines originate from the water tower. In the Roman era, the main water supply was always used to first feed the main public fountains in a town. Assuming sufficient water was available, water was then diverted from the main line to secondary lines that supplied public baths and even private households. With the help of the water gates and barrages installed near the water tower, the children determine ‒ just like the ancient Romans ‒ what routes the accumulated water should take. They can select from three different options. Depending on how the water is directed, it flows along channels, over the wooden tables (on which there is sand with which children can play to their hearts' content), tumbles down a slope made of horizontally positioned bricks or is passed into a meandering stone conduit. Thanks to the integrated gates and dams, children can determine the direction of flow of the water, change it as they wish and thus decide on the priorities when it comes to water supply. There is an Archimedes' screw that plays an important role in the transfer of water to the channel system. It is child's play to raise the water from a lower water basin with its help and return water to the circulating system. Run-offs and water jets provide for diversity and perfectly demonstrate the dynamics of water. In order to cross deep valleys, the Romans built not only aqueducts but also pressurised water pipelines. These are duplicated in the form of a transparent pressurised line that runs between two basins.
The variety offered by the water playground in Xanten makes it something special in the locality and it is unsurprisingly popular. Over the past years, its attractiveness has been demonstrated to the full. Even when it was first opened, everyone was in agreement that it was a major acquisition for the park and the region.
Xanten Archaeological Park
This is the most extensive open-air archaeological attraction in Germany. The park and attached Roman museum register more than 500,000 visitors each year where they can discover for themselves what day-to-day life must have been like in the Roman settlement of Colonia Ulpia Traiana. To admire are the many reconstructed buildings and there are regular lectures, guided tours and other events.
For more information, go to www.apx.lvr.de.
Image: Axel Schütze (Dipl.-Ing. AKNW/BDLA/Landschaftsarchitekturbüro Axel Schütze)
More information: www.axel-schuetze.de
