The public baths of the legionary fortress, the Thermae Maiores, were discovered during the first excavations in Aquincum in 1778 when one of the bath's halls came to light. István Schönvisner, the director of these investigations, published his results in the same year under the title "De Ruderibus Caldariique Romani". Soon after its recovery, this section of the baths was displayed to the public in a special protective construction.