3 May 2018 – The PANEUM embarks on the trail of the Roman legionnaires. Through a special exhibition, “Bread for the Legion – the Power of Grain”, visitors can find out about the role that cereals and bread played in their everyday lives.

Upper Austria, particularly the region along the Danube, is all about its Roman heritage this year. The Upper Austrian Provincial Exhibition 2018, “The Return of the Legion”, makes the life of 1,800 years ago tangible and palpable, and the topic of bread is inextricably linked to this. “Even for the Romans, grain was the most important staple food,” says PANEUM founder Peter Augendopler. “It was nutritious, versatile, easy to cultivate and had an almost unlimited shelf life when it was dried. And, for the power of Rome, the availability of sufficient quantities was crucial, because only well fed soldiers could fight.”

As a partner of the Upper Austrian Provincial Exhibition 2018, the PANEUM – Wunderkammer of Bread joins “The Return of the Legion” with a special exhibition entitled “Bread for the Legion – the Power of Grain”, which will be on display in the foyer of the PANEUM from 3 May to 3 November. Curator Anita Giuliani: “Visitors embark on the trail of the legionnaires. They learn about the types of cereals that were available, the meals and breads that were made with them, and the foods that the Romans consumed.” The exhibition combines interesting facts about bread and the legion across seven chapters. Information boards and illustrations provide adults and children with an insight into the lives of the legionnaires in Lauriacum. Exhibits from the backaldrin collection and objects on loan from the Wels Municipal Museum illustrate the theme. “The Romans also ate bread and what was known as pulse, a type of porridge,” explains the curator. To make it, the legionnaires had to grind the grain themselves. How this was done is shown in a special show while an example of a working Roman bakery is also on display.

Only about five kilometres from the town of Enns – the capital of the regional exhibition – the PANEUM complements what’s on offer to exhibition visitors from 3 May to 3 November 2018.

Ticket cooperation
The PANEUM and the regional exhibition offer a reciprocal discounted admission upon presentation of the relevant ticket. With the regional exhibition ticket, every visitor to the Upper Austrian Provincial Exhibition 2018 receives reduced admission to the PANEUM and an Original Kornspitz as a welcome gift. The ticket price includes a visit to the PANEUM special exhibition as well as a booked tour or audio guide.

PANEUM special exhibition “Bread for the Legion – the Power of Grain”
3 May – 3 November 2018 in the PANEUM (foyer) during the Upper Austrian Provincal Exhibition 2018

Upper Austrian Provincial Exhibition 2018 “The Return of the Legion. Roman Heritage in Upper Austria.”
27 April – 4 November 2018 in Enns, Schlögen and Oberranna / www.landesausstellung.at

Photos: © PANEUM
Home: PANEUM Special Exhibition “Bread for the Legion”
Header: Sketch of a working Roman bakery, to be seen as part of the PANEUM special exhibition, “Bread for the Legion – the Power of Grain“ (Sketch: Gruppe Gut).