The fort bath lay to the east of the fort, 50m away from the "porta praetoria", between the harbour and the fort walls.

The building complex consisted of several rooms that were laid out in a row. The bath was 44.5m long and up to 19.45m wide, and made of gneiss. Several praefurniums heated the large rooms. After a cold bath (room A), the bather moved through room B into the lukewarm bath C. There was a decorated water basin of stone here. The largest room D, the hot bath, had two semi-circle niches. In these apses there were probably basins. This room was decorated with colourful murals, geometric and floral patterns decorated the walls. Shards of window glass were also found: the southern windows provided additional warmth.

Many of the hypocaust tiles are stamped with the name of the "legio XXII Primigenia pia fidelis" which was stationed in Mainz and manufactured tiles in Frankfurt-Nied, among other locations. Parts of the pavement was made of waterproof concrete. It is likely that there were two cold-water basins in the northeast of the building. Sewage flowed from here through a canal to the Main.

Chronology

Built c. 110 AD, shortly after the fort's construction

Monument

Category: bath/baths

Fort bath

Current State: In 1968 the fort bath was moved to Nilkheimer Park.

Monument Protection: No

Presentation: Signboard in Nilkheimer Park

Research: The fort bath was discovered in 1895, before the paper factory was built. The foundations, hypocausts, and masonry were extremely well preserved.

Literature
Baatz-Herrmann 1982, 233. Steidl 2008, 175ff.