Römerbad am Tegelberg

At the foot of the Tegelberg lies the archaeological site of the Roman settlement Tegelberg, a 2nd‑century AD complex near Schloss Neuschwanstein by Schwangau in the district of Ostallgäu, Bavaria. The site became known above all for the well‑preserved frescoes of the cold bath (frigidarium), whose conservation and partial reconstruction can today be seen in the Archäologische Staatssammlung München.

The settlement extends across the area of the present Tegelbergbahn on the slope of the Hornburg (1,172 m) and in visual relation to the higher Tegelberg (1,881 m). The terrain is drained by the Rautbach and Lußbach; historic waterways and late‑antique fortifications in the wider surroundings document the incorporation of this place into the network of Roman traffic routes and neighbouring settlements.

Archaeological interventions began in the first half of the 20th century and continued in several campaigns, most recently with rescue excavations during construction work in the 1960s as well as conservation measures in the 1990s. At least three main buildings were uncovered. A residential building was partly destroyed, an economic building was conserved, and a compact bathhouse with hypocaust systems was extensively documented. The research debate links the finds with a larger, possibly villa rustica‑like structure that may be associated with ore extraction at the Tegelberg. Occupation apparently ended in the 3rd century as a result of a debris flow or military events; ore mining continued into the Middle Ages.

The bath building displays the typical sequence of entrance and changing room, Laubad, cold and warm baths, and a sweating room with a semicircular apse. In the apodyterium a ceiling depiction of the abduction of Ganymede was recorded. The frescoes were preserved in an unusually good state by a debris flow; their restoration revealed two overpaintings, the dominant colour being a medium‑dark blue with striking red delineations and figural as well as ornamental motifs. A coin find from the reign of Antoninus Pius dates the complex to the second half of the 2nd century AD. The finds are registered archaeological monuments protected under the Bavarian Monument Protection Act; excavations and systematic collecting require permission, and chance finds must be reported to the authorities.