Roman Fort 'Bodobrica' For Rome, Boppard was one of the most important settlements on the Middle Rhine, proof of which is to be found everywhere in the town. As a direct result of Julius Caesar's triumphal campaigns in the country, this area was also conquered to eventually form part of the Roman realm. The area was formerly occupied by Celts who gave the name 'BAUDOBRIGA' to their ancient settlement. After traces of early Roman occupation in the Mühltal area not far from what now constitutes the western borders of the town, work began on a substantial fortification with the name BODOBRICA and from which the present name BOPPARD is derived. It was built in the fourth century and situated directly on the banks of the Rhine, measuring approximately 1010 by 505 ft., and forming a rough rectangle, ranging over an area of 4.7 hec-tares. The walls are 10 ft. thick to the inland side and 8 ft. thick towards the Rhine. It was 29 ft. high and thus presented an impressive obstacle to intended attack. In addition, on the inland side, the fortress could boast 20 horseshoe shaped towers each at regular intervals of about 88 ft. from each other, which offered additional protection against a possible attack from that direction. After the fall of Rome and the final departu-re of Roman forces, this building formed the centre of settlement from which the later town steadily developed. Today, we can see the pulsing life in the streets of a modern town, but the origins of Boppard are still clearly visible. We can see the ruins of Roman occupation with its migh-ty fortification, which still surrounds the town centre, and indeed the walls of this Roman fortress are the best preserved in the land. Boppard | Angertstrasse/Kirchgasse | Tel. +49 (0)6742-3888 | MAP OF TOWN G Places worth seeing Roman Fort ‘Bodobrica' 8 – 9 St. Severus Church This twin-towered parish church, built in Romanesque style over the original Roman military baths of the fortress in the 13th cent. has a rich architectural structure and decorati-vely painted arches with the legend of St. Severus. Especially worth seeing is the Triumph Cross (13th century). Marktplatz 7 | Tel. +49 (0)67423-2315 | Catholic Congregation of St. Severus MAP OF TOWN D The Carmelite Church (Karmeliter-Kirche) The Gothic Carmelite Church (14th-15th cent.) houses a rich interior which in-cludes, for example, gravestones, choir stalls (15th cent.). The Carmelite Ve-neration of Mary can be seen in va-rious representations, the 'Grape Ma-donna', the 'Madonna with the Rosary', and 'In Piety'. The former cloisters now houses the town administration. Karmeliterstraße | Tel. +49 (0)6742-2315 Catholic Congregation St. Severus MAP OF TOWN E Church of Christ The new Byzantine style 'Christus-kirche' was inaugurated in the pre-sence of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV in 1852. The interior soars up to a dome-like vault supported by slen-der columns. The south wing was turned by 90 degrees in 1975 as a consequence of building the B9 highway. Tel. +49 (0)6742-2343 | Gemeindeamt | Pastorgasse 9d MAP OF TOWN F