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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman thermal baths of Mackwiller, located in the Lower Rhine (Great East), form a thermal complex dated between the second and fourth centuries. Discovered in 1859 by Pastor Jean-Pierre Eugène Ringel, they were partially searched until 1864 and consolidated between 1906 and 1911 under German administration. Their original plan, prepared by Ringel, reveals an area of about 1,100 m2, with walls in stonestone and local stoneware, decorated with coloured traces of coatings and marble fragments. These remains, classified as historic monuments in 1930, probably belonged to a luxurious villa, whose right-of-way extended under the present village.

The site is associated with other ancient structures (a Mausoleum, a Mithraeum and an unidentified building), suggesting an aristocratic domain linked to the Mediomatrics, the Gaulish people of Belgic Gaul under the High Empire. The 19th-century excavations, although pioneering, were criticized for their lack of rigour, notably by André Jung, who challenged the arbitrary attribution of spas in the absence of hydraulic evidence. Since the 1950s, research has focused on the reconstruction of the ancient environment, including the villa, sanctuary and mithraeum discovered by Jean-Jacques Hatt.

The modern history of the thermal baths is marked by periods of neglect: after the excavations of Ringel, the remains were looted and degraded until their consolidation in the early twentieth century. Their classification in 1930 allowed for official protection, although their present state remains poorly documented. The property now belongs to the Bas-Rhin department. The site, located on Rue de l'École, illustrates the importance of thermal establishments in Gallo-Roman villa, symbols of romanization and social status.

In 1750, written sources mentioned "antique tombs" near Mackwiller, reported by Jean-Daniel Schoepflin in Alsatia illustrata. However, it was Ringel who formally identified the thermal baths, providing a detailed description in a 1860 report. The materials found (clous, polychrome coatings, porphyry elements) attest to a careful decor, typical of the local elites. Despite the archaeological gaps, the site remains a major testimony of the Roman occupation in Alsace, integrated with the Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire and the Merimée base.

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