European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 1, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                February the stars and stripes Page 9 Ladenburg is a living history Book Story and photos by Jerry Kidder staff writer lop Dunum was its name Whan the town charter was issued in the year 98 by the roman ruler in the Early Middle the town became lob Dan Burg and later in the Middle Ages the name was changed to its called Ladenburg and is the oldest German town East of the Rhine its located on the Neckar Hiver be tween Mannheim and has a population of More than and is proud of its history and the old part of town is a living history the Middle Ages arc reflected in the old timbered buildings which have been re stored to their original condition and the old and narrow Cobblestone streets Are lined with the name lop Dunum came from the celtic name of a settlement which existed on the same site Long before the romans in the roman period Ladenburg was the Capitol of Civitts Ulpia sue Borum the area of the lower Neckar according to archaeological finds from this it appears that the romans began building a Basilica at the beginning of the third Century to be the crowning glory to the forum which would rival those in the Basilica was to be a court House and Market place for the the foundation was 73 Yards Long and the Structure would have been the second largest roman build ing North of the second Only to the Basilica of but the Structure was never finished be cause about that time the roman Empire began to today the Gallus Kirche stands on the original roman foundation and the floor of the forum is about two to three Yards under the present the Church Marks the Southeast end of the old under today Kirc Platz Are blocks and pieces of roman buildings and a layer of ruins from the Middle Many of the old houses on the Kirche Strasse Are built Over the ruins of the old the callus Church was probably started with the building of a lower around with the which still can be seen being constructed shortly after to in the Middle Ladenburg was seat of the Bishops of these Bishops determined the history of Ladenburg for 000 the present Day Bishops Palace and the nearby Chapel of Sebastian arc remains of the once grand episcopal next to the Palace Are ruins from the past and at the rear of Sebastian a detailed map shows Points of in Terest and relics found Here along with their beside the Church in a dugout re Mains of a Wall from around 90 have been uncovered along with a Section of an other Stone Wall from the Early Middle probably part of the town fort Ifica the lord Ngau museum in the Bishops Palace contains columns and blocks from the Walls of a roman building of the second Century and archaeological finds from the ice Ages through the Middle Ages that were found in the Ladenburg the museum is open on saturdays and in More modern times Ladenburg was the Home and burial place of Carl the inventor of the first automobile powered by an internal combustion his first considered the oldest automobile garage in the is still the town Council of Ladenburg has taken Steps to preserve the historical image of its a town ordinance re quires that All renovations or roof work be reported to the mayor and that All material and colors retain the historic image of the visitors ran reach Ladenburg from the new Frankfurt Heidelberg autobahn by taking the Ladenburg signs then direct visitors to the Middle of quaint old Ladenburg Bouses Are built Over remains of a roman Sebastian Church was Chapel for the Bishops of Worms centuries