Patrons: Carina Bachl, Manuela Bruckmeier, Daniela Feilmeier, Cordula Fischer, Johann Haböck, Christine Kastenmeier, Elisabeth Kühmeier, Josef Kühmeier, Karin Sedlmeier, Martina Vogl, Kathrin Zitzlsperger
Commission: We want Künzing to become more than just a place people pass through. It should become a place where people stop and stay. Künzing has an important history that remains invisible to many. We want to change that. We want the Roman history of Künzing to become visible and tangible beyond the walls of our museum. Both local residents and visitors passing through should become aware of Künzing's World Heritage. We therefore wish to create public spaces in the village centre where the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Danube Limes can be experienced through play and movement.
Mediator: Roman Weindl
Artist: Hanns-Martin Wagner
Period: Since 2023
Partner: Municipality of Künzing, Museum Quintana – Archaeology in Künzing, Museum Association Künzing, Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection
Anyone driving through Künzing today would hardly guess what lies beneath the road: beneath the centre of this Lower Bavarian municipality are the remains of the Roman fort Quintana and its civilian settlement, which once included a wooden amphitheatre—an archaeological sensation discovered during excavations in 2003. To this day, it remains one of only two archaeologically verified wooden amphitheatres in Germany.
Since July 2021, these archaeological remains have formed part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Danube Limes (Western Section). Yet almost nothing of this heritage is visible. As at many sites along the Bavarian Danube Limes, the otherwise invisible remains are marked only by a stylised partial reconstruction in wood.
The project was initiated after the Danube Limes was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2022, the municipal council commissioned Dr. Roman Weindl, director of Museum Quintana, to develop a participatory project that would make this heritage visible. Through the regional World Heritage coordination office, the municipality became aware of the New Patrons model. As part of a mentoring programme, Weindl was introduced to the practice of mediation by mediator Holger Friese. At the same time, two public meetings brought together a group of nine women and two men who became the project's commissioners. Over several rounds of discussions, they developed their commission, providing the basis for the search for a suitable artist.
In autumn 2025, the group selected Swiss artist Hanns-Martin Wagner. His work explores kinetics and play, with interactive marble runs created through his Sinnwerkstatt (Workshop for the Senses) for museums and public spaces at its core. The mediator proposed Wagner because his artistic approach responds directly to the group's wish to make World Heritage tangible through play and movement. During his first visit, Wagner met the commissioning group, visited Museum Quintana and explored the open space behind the museum where the future artwork will be realised.
As the commissioners hoped to see an early intervention—already in summer 2026—they arranged the loan of one of Wagner's interactive marble-run installations. Originally created in 2023 for the anniversary celebration 500 Joor zämme("500 Years Together") of Basel and Riehen, the installation also serves as a way to test whether the artist's approach fulfils the group's expectations: creating a place that attracts people and encourages them to engage. Thanks to funding from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection and the Museum Association Künzing, the installation will remain on the grounds behind Museum Quintana for one year, where it is already attracting school classes and families.
The next stage will follow in 2027. Based on the commissioning group's specific wishes, Hanns-Martin Wagner will develop a permanent artistic proposal, which will then be realised. The aim is to transform Künzing's invisible World Heritage into a place that invites both local residents and travellers to stop, play and spend time there.
