Celeia

Celje is today a lively, mid-sized town in Štajerska, best known for its medieval castle and the Counts of Celje who ruled from it, but its history goes back far beyond the Middle Ages. In the first century AD the Romans established a settlement here, on the plain beside the Savinja river, and in the reign of the emperor Claudius it was raised to the status of a Roman town with the name Claudia Celeia. It lay on the main road between Aquileia and the Danube provinces, and it grew into a prosperous centre with walls, temples, public buildings, workshops and fine houses, a place that earned itself the affectionate nickname of Little Rome. Most of the Roman city lies under the modern streets, and the project known as Celeia is a way to see what is underneath.

The central idea is that the ancient city can be seen through the floor of the modern one. Under the old town, archaeologists have uncovered stretches of Roman street, pavements, foundations and mosaics, and the exhibition is built so that visitors can walk over or beside them, in some places on glass floors that look down onto the ancient surface. The sense of looking straight down at the road that carts and legionaries once travelled is one of the most striking features of a visit. Marble sculptures, inscriptions, everyday objects and parts of buildings help to explain how people lived, traded and worshipped in Roman Celeia, and displays and models place them in the setting of the ancient town. The exhibition is not large, but it makes the Roman past of Celje tangible in a way that a conventional museum cannot.

Celeia sits in the middle of the Old Town, so it is easy to combine with a walk through the squares and lanes, and with a visit to Celje Castle on its hill above the town. Other nearby sights include Trg Celjskih Knezov, the square named after the counts, Local Cuisine of the Savinja Valley, the Town Forest, Šmartno Lake, the Celjska Koča hut and Natural Water Sources (Wellness). The Year-round Sports Complex and Sports Clubs (over 60) and Training Disciplines (over 50) show that the town is as much about modern recreation as old stones.

Check opening times and any guided tour options before you go, since exhibitions of this kind can have seasonal hours. The site is under cover and suitable in any weather.

It suits history lovers, families and anyone who wants to see the Roman roots of a Slovenian town. Allow an hour, and combine it with the castle for a full picture of Celje's two great ages. Slovenia’s Roman past is rarely so close to the surface, and Slovenia has few such places in a living town centre. While the castle draws the crowds, Celje’s Roman layer deserves its hour.