Schwäbisch Gmünd - Freimühle

The site of the fort at Schwäbisch Gmünd - Freimühle.

Schwäbisch Gmünd - Freimühle: name of the site of a Roman fort along the Raetian limes.

The limes castle of Freimühle (northwest of modern Schwäbisch Gmünd; map) is very small: 55 x 55 m. Because it is now overgrown by a forest, no full-scale excavation has taken place. Only one corner has been investigated and nothing is known about the buildings inside the fort. About 50 meters to the southeast, the remains of a bathhouse have been identified.

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Site of Schwäbisch Gmünd-Schirenhof, with view on Schwäbisch Gmünd-Freimühle. Photo Marco Prins.

Site of fort Schirenhof, with view on the hill that was occupied by fort Freimühle.

Its presence suggests that the fortlet was not dependent on the next fort, Schirenhof, which is surprising, because the two settlements were within sight of each other. If you want to visit the place, this satellite photo will help you to find the site in the forest.

Immediately to the west of the Freimühle fortlet is a brook called Rotenbach. This was the boundary between two Roman provinces: east of it was Raetia, west of it was Germania Superior. It is tempting to assume that Freimühle was in some sense related to this boundary. Maybe its soldiers inspected travelers between the two provinces.

Roof tile from Freimühle (Limesmuseum, Aalen)

Roof tiles with the inscription COhoRs Prima RaETorum prove that the unit that occupied this small fort was, at least at some point in the history of Freimühle, the Cohors I Raetorum, which was also based in nearby Schirenhof.

To the south of the fortlet was a small civil settlement. The next limes castle to the west is Lorch in Germania Superior; to the east, in Raetia, is Schirenhof.