Isis Heiligtum (Isis and Magna Mater Temple) in Mainz, Germany
What do you do when you've built a shopping mall but you find an ancient Roman temple underneath part of it? If you are in Mainz, Germany, you build the mall up around it, but leave it in place to be a hidden museum to the past. This is the "Isis-Heiligtum" (Isis Temple) in Mainz, Germany, preserved in place beneath the Römerpassage shopping mall within an easy 10-minute walk from Mainz…
In Mainz, Germany, a shopping mall called the Römerpassage unexpectedly discovered an ancient Roman temple beneath its foundations. Instead of demolishing the temple, the mall was constructed around it, leaving the historical site intact as a hidden museum. Located just a 10-minute walk from Mainz Hauptbahnhof train station, the Isis-Heiligtum (Isis Temple) offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore two temples dedicated to Isis and Cybele, also known as Magna Mater in Rome.
The temple complex reveals fascinating insights into the lives of those who visited and worked there. Moreover, it houses an array of magical items that were buried within the temple grounds for various purposes, such as cursing or blessing individuals. The museum provides an engaging experience, complete with a disembodied voiceover and cheesy videos celebrating the Saturnalia festival. Visitors can marvel at this well-designed small museum, which has found an unusual yet fitting location within a modern shopping mall.
Written by urgent.news from Atlas Obscura's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
