The
Pompejanum
(Pompeiianum) Aschaffenburg Germany
One of the Mosaic Floors Showing a Dog
The Pompejanum stands amid pines, cedars and fig trees on the sloping vineyards above the Main river. Inspired by excavations in Pompeii, King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who cherished a passion for the ancient world, had the Pompeiianum, an ideal reproduction of a Roman house, built in Aschaffenburg by the Munich architect Friedrich von Gärtner in 1840-1848. After severe damage in World War II, the interiors were lavishly restored, and in some cases entirely rebuilt. The Pompeiianum opened as a museum in 1994 and in addition to the house itself, displays original works of art from the Bavarian state collections of classical antiquities and the Glypothek museum in Munich, primarily bronzes, marble statues, and glass. In 2002 the upper floor was restored. In addition to the main living areas, other rooms that may be visited by the public now include the triclinium (dining room), two interior courtyards, one with a water basin, one with a garden, the logia (music room), two cubicula (bedrooms), the cella (childrens' room), pergola, kitchen, and utility rooms. Most of these rooms are furnished as if they were in use by a Roman household. In two are display cases in which small original items of daily Roman life are displayed such as a dog collar, fish hook, stylus, cosmetics, childrens toys, etc.
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Gärtner's prototype was the house of Castor and Pollux in Pompeii, adding the outside steps and a porch on the second floor in deference to the scenic surroundings. King Ludwig I wanted this ideal replica of a Roman house to reproduce the damaged objects then being excavated at Pompeii in a manner as true to the originals as possible, but without bearing the marks of damage. The king hoped that connoisseurs of ancient art would derive instructive benefit from his Pompeiianum, with its reproduction of Roman wall paintings and its floor mosaics based on authentic examples. The detail is so perfect that even on the wall of one of the toilets are scratched the words: hic cacavit bene.
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The Kitchen
Before construction of the house was over, and almost complete inventory had been acquired for the kitchen. All the vessels and utensils now on open display belong to the original furnishings. The kitchen utensils of bronze are copies of originals and excavated at Pompeii and Herculaneum. The sculptor and art critic Martin von Wagner had seen them in the Naples Museum and proposed them as models. King Ludwig I of Bavaria had these faithful reproductions made in Rome by the sculptor and brass founder Wilhelm Hopfgarten in 1845-1850. The six large clay amphorae of various shapes then held wine and oil. They are actually Roman originals purchased at the time.
The carefully reproduced Roman kitchen at the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg
The Wall Mural in One of the Two Courtyards
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The Triclinium (Dining Room)
Destruction After World War II
