Urft crossing Rosenthal in Nettersheim

The Urft Valley presented the first major obstacle for travelers from Cologne towards Trier in Roman times. Up to that point, the route to the Eifel mountains was largely straight. Now, however, the Urft had to be crossed. Once at the river, there were several ways to cross it: The Roman road traversed the Urft and its steep valley slopes at several points.

The Roman road branched into different routes. Depending on whether travelers were traveling by loaded wagon, on horseback, or on foot, they could choose a route. The type of vehicle, the load being carried, and the seasonal conditions also played a role in the choice of route.

It is assumed that the road branch running directly north to south here crossed the river via a bridge. Another branch, further west, split again shortly before the northern slope of the Urft valley. These two roads likely crossed the Urft at two fords. On the opposite bank, one branch led into the Eichter valley, while further downstream, another route passed by the present-day town of Urft. The various road branches then converged again in the south near Schmidtheim.