Gateway to the Roman Fort of Saalburg, Germany

This is the Roman fort re-constructed by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Originally a simple wooden fort holding a numerus of 2 centuries, the Saalburg was expanded under Hadrian into a cohort fort, garrisoned by the Cohors II Raetorum civium Romanorum equitata - a part infantry, part cavalry unit.

The Saalburg was part of the German limes defence system, originally a chain of watchtowers to which a palisade was added. The whole system was broken through by the Alemanni (a coalition of German tribes literally meaning all men) in the mid 3rd century and the Romans retreated behind the Rhine. The Saalburg fort was abandoned.

The Statue in front of the main gate is Hadrian, but he inscription records that Kaiser Wilhelm II reconstructed the fort as memorial to his parents, the Kaiser Freidrich III and his wife Victoria - Vicky the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria.