Austria

Asparn-an-der-Zaya MAMUZ open-air archaeological museum
Pre-Christian

Reconstructed from the archaeological excavations at nearby Sandberg and representing several eras up to the Iron Age, the Celtic village makes you want to move into it.  The museum in the castle right next to the village contains remarkable medical instruments, technology and art.

From excavations at Sandberg, ancient Celtic settlement
Pre-Christian

Amid rolling hills of vineyards, this Celtic village clearly must have enjoyed the fruits of their labor.  Evidence of the community wine cellar in the middle of town shows ancient wine technology, storage and consumption.

Frauenstein castle
a remote & stunningly beautiful area 

Remote and hidden away, this castle probably served as refuge for women during the hundreds of years that they were hunted and burned as witches.  Multiple castle ruins in this sector are reachable from this point by hiking trails and may have comprised a system of fortified safe houses.  This one is under restoration.

Keltenwelt at Frög
Celtic burial grounds & museum

A beautiful setting allows the visitor a sense of Celtic ways, with a multitude of displays and artifacts well presented in the museum.

Magdalenaberg, ancient Celtic gold mining settlement
Pre-Christian

Step into the Celtic world on a sublime mountaintop.  Explore the actual site, a museum of remarkable remembrance and hospitable, knowledgeable Gasthaus.

Maria Saal, Gailtaler Heimatmuseum, the Duke’s Chair
Pre-Christian

The 7th century duchy of Carantania conducted democratic proceedings in choosing their duke or duchess to be their leading official.   The candidate had to sit in this chair and answer questions about whether he or she would act fairly, and then receive a slap in the face representing the public’s right to object.

Piber festive hall & Lippizaner center

The care and decoration of horses is prevalent in Celtic artifacts.  In Piber, what is now a church but probably the former festive hall, sits right next to the stables of the famed Lipizzaner horses that are also heralded at their Slovenian location in Lipica.  The ceiling ribbing, repeated throughout the Celtic world, is highlighted by a contrasting color with a medallion at the intersection.

Belgium

Aulne Abbey
Merovingian-Carolingian

By setting and layout, this abbey could as easily be in England or Slovenia – From the quality of the masonry to repeating arches and towers, Celtic preferences abound here.

Bruges, Basilica
now named Basilica of the Holy Blood, where last Duke of Burgundy lay in state
15th century

Gilded, colorful, finely crafted ceiling, pillars and arches emblematize Celtic style.

Bruges, Cloth Hall museum
15th century

It’s easy to imagine the interior courtyard of this fortified textile market bustling with stands of fine fabrics from all over Europe.  Its tall tower can be seen from everywhere, signaling both the importance of the building and the need to keep watch. 

Bruges, Oud Sint-Jan hospital museum
15th century

Canals and building reflect Celtic styles and skills.  Triangular facades and decorative door and window treatment as well as the quality of the craft is consistent throughout Europe. 

Brussels, Cinquantenaire
Museum of the Royal Museums for Art & History
15th century holdings

La Jeunesse d’Hercule tapestry evidences the importance of the Hercules legend in Celtic culture.  This museum contains a loom and substantial collection.  Buses run from Old Town out to this area of town.

Brussels, Coudenberg Museum
15th century & earlier

17th century rendering of Coudenberg.  High-ceilinged, expansive, and replete with arched, striped doorways, the castle cellars have been excavated from underneath a parking lot and form part of the museum, even though the rest of the building was long-since destroyed. 

Brussels, Halle Gate
15th century

City gates in Brussels attest to the severity of the threat faced in 15th century Burgundy, as well as the building expertise.  Note the conical slate roof of the towers, the scalloped edgings, detail,  balance and elegance of the construction.

Czechia

Františkovy Lázne Frankish spa town described by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as “heaven on earth”
Celtic-Frankish on-going

Thermal bath resort town, a comprehensive approach to wellness with parks, therapeutic programs, extensive trails in beautiful natural settings.

Karlovy Vary, Frankish spa town
Celtic-Frankish on-going

This jewel of a hot springs resort town bears Charlemagne’s name.  With its gracious pavilions that shelter mineral water fountains, ornate, intricate ironwork and bridges that crisscross the river, it still stands as one of Europe’s greatest treasures.

Loket
medieval

Snugly tucked into the river loop, this charming town defines the defensible location.  It is set in a lovely park.

Mariánské Lázné
Celtic-Frankish on-going

The hilltop park is the centerpiece in this lovely spa town. 

France

Alésia Celtic Museum and Archaeological Park
Pre-Christian

Chalice found at site displays intricate, decorative metallurgy with natural motifs.  This is the site where Romans starved thousands of Celts to death.  The museum shows Asterix comic books that portray the battles of Romans and Celts.  Valuable information is also displayed about the imaging technology that finally led to the discovery of this battleground.   

Beaune, Hospital Museum
15th century

Mother and child hailed by kneeling man amid mille-fleurs background.  Honoring women and motherhood, anathema to Christianity’s degradation of women, marks this as Celtic.  The building complex here is stunningly beautiful and wonderfully restored, with information about medical history as well as the vaunted wine auctions for charity.

Beaune, Dukes of Burgundy former residence
now wine museum 

Wine presses, barrels and other related equipment from the 15th century are displayed here from the era when Burgundian leadership based in Brussels, but also maintained a presence in what is now French Burgundy.

Bibracte, Hillfort & Museum of Celtic Civilization
Pre-Christian

Wooded hilltops in Bibracte region recall refuge from attack that the high forests provided Celts.  This was the area to which Julius Caesar repaired after starving out Alesia.  The outsize Roman villa dominated the previously same-sized housing units, and the population dissipated.. 

Bourges, Museum of Natural History
Pre-Christian

Natural motifs are rhythmically shown and bordered, Celtic-style.  The museum here contains an extensive collection of gravestones from a Celtic settlement.

Carcassonne castle museum
Pre-Christian & medieval 

Conical-roofed tower in Frankish style in Carcassone stems from the time when the Church mounted a years-long Crusade against the Cathars here.  This area is also known for its Merovingian treasures.

Châtillon-sur-Seine, Museum with Vix treasures
Pre-Christian

The museum here displays contents of an Iron Age woman’s burial chamber, including a golden torque and 6-foot tall wine crater.  Other grave findings include horses and decorations buried with their owners.  Items on display are extensive and wide-ranging.

Germany

Aachen, octagonal tower in Palatine Chapel
Carolingian

According to legend, Charlemagne the Frank was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in this hall in Aachen, or Aix-la-Chappelle.  Given the ferocity with which the Franks sought freedom from Roman conquest and domination, however, it remains highly unlikely that Charles the Great would have submitted voluntarily to his ancestors’ arch-enemy.  

Dargun Abbey, Mecklenburg
at least 12th century

Dargun Abbey features interior courtyard of multi-story galleries, typical of Frankish abbeys and castles.

Donnersberg ancient Celtic settlement site
Pre-Christian

Fortified town of same-size dwellings with forested hilltop shows no sign of outside royal residence.

Eberbach Abbey & wine cellar
medieval

Rhythmical, brightly-colored arches and windows adorn the courtyard of this abbey that sits just above the entry of the Rhine River onto the plains.

Eldena Kloster, Mecklenburg
12th century

Archways like these were commonly bricked in, presumably after imperial conquest, turning pavilions into enclosures.

Fulda, St. Michael’s Church crypt & Vonderau Museum Carolingian

Beneath what was probably a Celtic festival hall founded by Charlemagne, lie subterranean cellars, perhaps used for wine storage.

Glauberg Archaeological Park & Museum
late Hallstatt, early La Tène

Gold jewelry, coriander, bread-making – these are a few of the surprises from the ancient Celtic population here, now shared with the museum through excavations.

Luxembourg

Clairvaux Museum

Exhibits here allow valuable insights into Luxembourg’s castles, with numerous models.  Explanations also point out that royalty took over the castles after conquest, but that the castles served defensive purposes beforehand, with their massive fortifications. 

Titelberg 

Remote and inaccessible, this active excavation of festive hall, market place, baths can be seen through fencing.  A long hike from parking follows many miles on a one-lane dirt road. 

Slovenia

Bled Castle Museum
Pre-Christian

Video presentations enrich the displays, and the building itself provides familiar Celtic style.   The museum in this stunning setting welcomes guests to linger on its inviting terraces and restaurant, with traditional Celtic hospitality. 

Bogensperk

Permanent and temporary exhibits enhance the understanding of this castle for which 17th century author and illustrator Janez Valvasor is renown. Wagensberg, in German, was also a home base for the Duchess of Mecklenburg, who prior to WWI uncovered thousands of Iron Age artifacts.  Part of her collection belongs to Harvard’s Peabody Museum and Harvard Press has published a book about her finds in Slovenia and Hallstatt.

Celje, Castle on the hill, Counts of Celje
Pre-Christian & medieval

Both the fortifications here on the hilltop and the view they afford give a sense of Celtic love of beauty and their extensive defensive systems.

Celje, Regional Museum, Counts of Celje domain
medieval

From the 11th century, the Counts of Celje served as officials in the overall defensive system of duchies, with multiple counties constituting one duchy.  This was their official residence.   

Celje Archaeological Museum

This tombstone with a scene from the Trojan War is an example of the vast collection in the Archaeological Museum in Cell.

Ljubljana, National Museum
Pre-Christian

“Norico-Pannonian girl as shown on a funerary monument from Klagenfurt in southern Austria.”  These and other displays from the first several centuries of the current era distinguish this rich collection of pre- and post- Roman occupation artifacts.

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