A new shelter for Heerlen’s Roman bathhouse
The former Thermenmuseum is closed. A new museum is being built on the same site to protect and display the Roman remains more effectively.
Heerlen’s former Thermenmuseum has been closed to visitors since September 2024. Beneath it lie the baths of Coriovallum. The archaeological remains themselves are the reason for the new building: according to Het Romeins Museum, the previous building could not provide the climate conditions needed for long-term conservation. This is a project to protect the site itself, as well as to change how it is shown.
The bathhouse was rediscovered in 1935 and gained a museum building in 1977. The excavated walls and floors remain where they were found; they are not objects that can be moved into a case. The museum says restoration of the remains began in 2017. That work also exposed damage caused by unsuitable conditions. Conservation and public presentation must therefore be addressed together in the new structure.
The design by Kraaijvanger Architects and TomDavid Architecten is being developed around the protected monument, the museum says. Its protective role forms part of a wider plan for visitors. Brick refers to Roman building methods, while ceramic panels recall Coriovallum’s pottery industry. The facade is also planned to include scaled forms of archaeological finds. These are features of the announced design, not of a building already open.
The photographs show the old museum exterior and the covered excavation. They record the Thermenmuseum before construction of its replacement began. The interior view shows how the former visitor route passed the remains. The old hall made the baths visible, yet, according to the museum, it did not offer sufficient climate protection. The construction task therefore extends beyond replacing a facade.
Het Romeins Museum expects to open in 2028; the remains cannot be visited in the meantime. Its website carries construction updates and the current timetable. Visitors to Heerlen should therefore not plan this as a museum stop for now. The bathhouse story can be followed online while a new protective setting is built at Coriovallumstraat.