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Antiquity meets precision: the construction of a new Rolex factory in Bulle reveals a Roman past.
Rolex is making a big splash in Gruyère: The Geneva-based luxury watch giant is investing over a billion francs in a new factory in Bulle (FR), which will be the size of 15 football fields and will create 2,000 jobs.
Legend:
There is a new Rolex factory on this meadow in Bulle FR.
Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott
Rolex has acquired a greenfield site for the new factory. The land was previously an agricultural area and was already used by the Romans.
200 meter long Roman road discovered
During archaeological excavations on the site, a 200 meter long ancient Roman road and burial sites were discovered. Ceramic shards from the La Tène period were also found.
Legend:
Archaeologists uncover the Roman road near Bulle.
SRF/Oliver Kempa
Archaeologists are currently documenting the finds. It is very rare that such a long section of a Roman road can be examined, says Jacques Monnier from the Freiburg Office of Archeology. “The road probably served as an access route to a Roman villa.”
The surface of the ancient road consists of a mixture of large stones and fine gravel. Heavy carriages could travel on the road without damaging them. “It is impressive how people back then were able to build such roads using the simplest means,” says Joaquim Furrer, one of the excavation managers.
The work uncovered numerous items that had been lost by travelers. These include old coins, arrowheads, shoes and broken wheels. “With every find, you can imagine a story that happened 2,000 years ago,” says Furrer.
Legend:
The Rolex factory will soon be here and the Römerstrasse will disappear.
SRF/Oliver Kempa
It has been known for 20 years that there are remains from Roman times on the site. But it is the Rolex construction site that enables archaeologists to uncover the street and examine it more closely.
Once the entire Roman road has been completely uncovered and examined by the end of April, it will then disappear again. “It is normal for archaeological finds to be destroyed during such construction projects,” says Monnier. However, the old Roman road will live on in the form of found objects, images and a digital model.