Ingelheim
Research – Preserve – Communicate
Welcome to the Kaiserpfalz of the city of Ingelheim am Rhein!
Charlemagne had a palace built in today’s Nieder-Ingelheim district around the year 800, the impressive ruins of which can be visited in the Archaeological Zone Kaiserpfalz (AZK). The Kaiserpfalz Research Centre, headed by medieval archaeologist Holger Grewe, is responsible for researching and preserving this unique early medieval monument.
In 1993, work began on gradually uncovering and preserving the remains of the palace buildings, which had been buried over the centuries and had almost disappeared under modern buildings, and making them accessible to the public. Today, the Kaiserpfalz of Ingelheim is the town’s most important monument and is one of the best-preserved early medieval palaces in Europe. Its preservation for future generations is therefore one of the most important tasks of the Kaiserpfalz Research Centre.
At the same time, with exhibitions such as The Charismatic Place in 2019, we want to arouse interest in an era that still harbours many secrets. Based on the results of our research, we also develop digital educational content such as virtual tours or digital reconstructions of the Kaiserpfalz. In this way, we are constantly learning and gaining an idea of what Ingelheim might have looked like around 1200 years ago.
This website offers exciting insights into our research as well as all the important information for a visit to the Kaiserpfalz Archaeological Zone in Ingelheim.
You can also find lots more information on our Facebook page.
Have fun browsing and discovering!
Pillars of power: 360° tour of the monument
Discover all the monuments of the Archaeological Zone Kaiserpfalz, including the 2020 Pillars of Power presentation, on a virtual 360° tour:
Download now: The Kaiserpfalz app
The Kaiserpfalz app is the ideal companion for a visit to the medieval palace ruins in Ingelheim. As a digital guide, it supplements the information in the circular route booklet and the signposting in the Kaiserpfalz area with audio texts, picture galleries and digital reconstructions. The Kaiserpfalz app is available free of charge from the AppStore and Play Store .
The karolinger-route website also offers a wealth of additional information. For example, you can use overlays to compare the current state of the site with the reconstructions.
Current News
15 October 2025: The Kaiserpfalz Research Centre in Ingelheim and the Rhineland-Palatinate General Directorate for Cultural Heritage (GDKE) have signed a cooperation agreement on the ‘Evaluation of archaeological investigations in the Jewish cult district of Worms 2021–2024’. The joint project, which aims to provide deeper insights into the architectural and cultural history of the SchUM World Heritage Site in Worms, continues the successful cooperation between the state's senior monument authority and the city of Ingelheim. As part of the cooperation, the Kaiserpfalz Research Centre is responsible for the scientific evaluation of all medieval findings and discoveries. The state is financing the project, which is expected to be completed in March 2027.
21 July 2025: After seven years of intensive research, the Kaiserpfalz Research Centre in Ingelheim and the Technical University of Darmstadt (Department of Classical Archaeology in the Faculty of Architecture) have presented the results of their successful collaboration: the publication ‘Die Ortsbefestigungen von Ober-Ingelheim und Großwinternheim’ (The Fortifications of Ober-Ingelheim and Großwinternheim) is the most comprehensive overview of the two medieval fortifications to date. The book also launches the new popular science series ‘Cultural Monuments of the City of Ingelheim am Rhein’, edited by Mayor Eveline Breyer and Research Centre Director Holger Grewe.
28 May 2025: Excitement is gradually building as the archaeological summer exhibition ‘447 – A Frankish Warrior on His Way to the Afterlife’ (5–24 August) is set to open in just over two months at the kING Culture and Congress Hall in Ingelheim under the patronage of Rhineland-Palatinate's Minister of the Interior, Michael Ebling. Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH (IkUM) and the Kaiserpfalz Ingelheim Archaeological Research Centre will then present the spectacular finds from a Frankish warrior's grave that remained untouched for 1,400 years and was discovered in Ingelheim in 2023.