Until the 1990s, archaeological work in Carnuntum faced enormous challenges. The extensive rescue excavations of the 1970s and 1980s - for example in the Mühläcker area, the burial grounds and the newly discovered Auxiliary Fort - had significantly expanded our knowledge of the ancient city. 

At the same time, however, the increasing commercialization of archaeology and the growing demand from tourists became more and more noticeable. Since the 1990s, there has also been growing public interest in archaeology and greater understanding among political decision-makers for the concerns of monument preservation. 

The operating company Archäologischer Park Carnuntum Ges.m.b.H. was founded in 1996 in order to meet these new conditions and to put the educational work on a professional footing. This represented a strategic milestone: For the first time, a clear separation could now be made between scientific research (still supported by the Academy of Sciences, the Austrian Archaeological Institute and the Federal Monuments Office) and the commercial operation of the visitor park.

The Roman quarter in 2003 - © Land NÖ

The aim of the operating company was to develop the archaeological park as a tourist and cultural attraction under the scientific direction of Franz Humer in line with strict monument conservation, scientific and educational guidelines. Under the management of Petra Bohouslav and, from 2001, Markus Wachter, Carnuntum was successfully positioned as an attractive destination for national and international cultural tourism in just a few years.

The economic concept was a success: Carnuntum developed into a significant regional economic factor with around 80,000 visitors a year. At the same time, the operating company provided a sustainable financial basis for further investment in conservation, research and education - a development that can be considered exemplary by European standards.