Summary
The city of Trier, situated by the Moselle River, dates back to 16 BC when it was known as Augustus Treverorum. As Germany’s oldest city, it has successfully preserved its Roman heritage. Today, Trier is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, showcasing remarkable structures such as the largest Roman gate outside of Italy, a palace hall established by Emperor Constantine, and an impressive bathing complex.
Visitors can easily become enchanted by the Roman artifacts at the Landesmuseum, explore the subterranean chambers beneath the amphitheater, or navigate the winding corridors of the Imperial Baths. Following Roman rule, Trier transitioned to the governance of Archbishop-Electors for centuries, endowing the city with a rich Medieval legacy replete with churches, aristocratic residences, and palatial buildings.
Let us examine the most significant attractions in Trier:
1. Porta Nigra
This monumental Roman city gate, constructed in the late 2nd century, stands as the largest north of the Alps, making it an ideal starting point for your exploration of Trier’s Roman marvels.
The gate features two semi-circular towers, with the larger reaching four stories, and visitors may ascend through its stairways.
Porta Nigra was built using local sandstone blocks that were secured with iron clamps.
On the eastern staircase, one can still observe an iron fastener, alongside traces of rust from medieval plundering.
The term “Porta Nigra,” meaning “black gate,” derives from the stone’s darkened hue due to centuries of residue accumulation.
In the Middle Ages, it transformed into a religious site when a Greek hermit sought refuge in the eastern tower, subsequently becoming part of a church.
2. Aula Palatina
Originally erected in the 4th century as the audience hall for Emperor Constantine’s palace, Aula Palatina features impressive dimensions, measuring 33 meters in height and 67 meters in length.
Its preservation is largely due to its transformation into a residence for the Medieval Bishops of Trier, who implemented several modifications.
In the 17th century, Archbishop Lothar von Matternich integrated the hall into his new Baroque palace.
In the 19th century, the Aula Palatina was restored to resemble its initial form when it became a Protestant church, making it the oldest building still in ecclesiastical use in Germany.
3. Rheinisches Landesmuseum
In a city such as Trier, rich in Roman heritage, the archaeological museum is paramount.
No other museum in Germany boasts such comprehensive and varied exhibitions of Roman culture.
Additionally, the museum displays artifacts predating the Roman era, including the 3,600-year-old Trassem hoard, comprised of a gold bangle, needle, decorative gold spirals, a sword, and an axe.
The numerous Roman discoveries include the Neumagen wine ship, a stone representation of a wine vessel carved for the tomb of a local merchant.
Among the essential exhibits is the 3rd-century Polydus Mosaic, which originated from a house later destroyed to make room for new baths.
The museum also houses the Trier Gold Coin Treasure, an assemblage of 2,650 Roman gold coins unearthed during city construction activities.
4. Cathedral of Trier
After Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, he initiated the construction of a complex featuring four basilicas at the present cathedral’s location.
At completion, this structure covered four times the area of the current cathedral.
The existing cathedral showcases an enticing mix of architectural styles, as the building has been extended over centuries rather than being completely rebuilt.
The cathedral therefore includes three Romanesque naves with Gothic vaults and Baroque elements such as the stucco vault in the western choir.
The oldest remaining sculptural piece is the sandstone tympanum on the south wall of the entrance leading to the Liebfrauenkirche, dating back to 1180 and depicting Jesus enthroned, flanked by Mary and Saint Peter.
Venture into the Gothic cloister for an exterior view of the cathedral, before making your way to the treasury, which houses an exquisite reliquary for one of the holy nails.
5. Trier Imperial Baths
Augusta Treverorum’s bathing complex from the 4th century was remarkable for its scale, featuring towering 19-meter walls that remain intact.
Although the baths were never completed, they were not the largest in the city at the time; that distinction belongs to the older Barbara Baths.
Located within an archaeological park, the Imperial Baths are in commendable condition for their age, partially due to their later adaptation into Trier’s Medieval city wall.
Visitors can journey through the excavated labyrinth of tunnels and marvel at the expansive hot water bath, which accommodated up to 650 individuals for opera performances.
Four of the original six boiler rooms still exist.
6. Trier Amphitheater
As would be expected in any respectable Roman city, Trier featured an amphitheater designated for blood sports, situated just beyond the Imperial Baths and outside the medieval walls.
The amphitheater is located on Petrisberg hill; its placement likely capitalized on the natural slope for seating, minimizing the need for extensive earthworks.
Dating back to the latter part of the 3rd century, this venue would have hosted animal fights, gladiatorial contests, and executions prior to the decline of the Western Empire two centuries later.
Notably, the amphitheater possesses intact cellars, where gladiators and animals would have been elevated to the arena via lifts.
7. Electoral Palace
The palace adjacent to the Aula Palatina is regarded as one of the finest representations of Rococo art in Germany.
The Rococo south wing was an addition to Lothar von Matternich’s Renaissance palace during the mid-18th century, coinciding with Elector Johann IX. Philipp von Walderdorff’s relocation to Trier.
Currently, the palace serves as the District Government’s headquarters, resulting in restricted access, but visitors can participate in guided tours of the courtyard, foyer, staircase, and “Baroque room,” all lavishly adorned.
The Baroque gardens surrounding the palace are equally magnificent, featuring rows of 18th-century sculptures created by Ferdinand Dietz.
8. Liebfrauenkirche
The earliest Gothic church in Germany is located adjacent to Trier Cathedral’s southern wall.
Constructed over a Roman-era church at the turn of the 13th century, the Liebfrauenkirche features a unique circular architecture comprising rounded portals and an altar nook that collectively form the shape of a 12-petalled rose, symbolizing the Virgin Mary.
The twelve supporting columns are embellished with representations of the twelve apostles, rising to vaulted ceilings adorned with intricate patterns.
Within, visitors can admire the ornate tomb of Bishop Karl von Metternich and the tympanum above the western portal, depicting the enthronement of Mary, the Annunciation, and the Adoration of the Magi.
9. Hauptmarkt
This marketplace represents the heart of Medieval Trier, established in the 10th century after its predecessor was looted during a Viking raid.
A three-meter market cross was erected in 958 to commemorate this incident; it features a Carolingian capital, while its column served as a pillory for public punishments from the 13th century onward.
The Renaissance Petrusbrunnen, constructed in 1595, is located on the southern side and is adorned with a statue of Trier’s patron saint, Peter.
He is depicted standing above allegorical representations of the four cardinal virtues: justice, fortitude, prudence, and temperance.
The Hauptmarkt is beautifully framed by historic buildings such as the Steipe, a ceremonial banquet hall adorned with a hipped roof and decorative crenellations.
Along the Steipe’s wall one can observe the official yardstick once used by market traders.
10. Dreikönigenhaus
Upon entering ancient Trier via Simeonstraße through Porta Nigra, you will soon encounter another noteworthy structure.
The Dreikönigenhaus, painted white with vibrant patterns around its semi-circular windows, represents a Romanesque and Gothic patrician house built in 1230. It reflects the defensive concerns of wealthy families at the time, resembling a fortified tower.
Notably, the front door is elevated above street level, requiring householders to utilize a ladder for entry and exit.
During the Middle Ages, Trier housed as many as ten residential towers similar to the Dreikönigenhaus, of which this is now one of three surviving examples.
11. Basilica of St. Paulinus
Situated near the Porta Nigra, a majestic Rococo church stands at the site of a Roman cemetery, the third in a sequence of religious buildings dating back to the 300s.
The previous Romanesque church was destroyed by the French army during the siege of Trier in 1673, and its successor was constructed six decades later, consecrated in 1757. Unlike other composite buildings in Trier, the Basilica of St. Paulinus is marked by a consistent, planned style, exhibiting extravagant Rococo stucco work, frescoes, and furnishings.
The church’s interior was crafted by the renowned architect Balthasar Neumann, while the magnificent fresco on the nave’s ceiling was executed by Christoph Thomas Scheffler, depicting the life of St. Paulinus and the martyrdom of the Theban Legion in 286.
12. Simeonstift
The 11th-century college adjoining the Porta Nigra serves as a prominent site for Trier’s city museum.
The collection here is extensive, originating from donations made by notable Trier citizens.
In addition to Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque paintings, sculptures, and crafts, the museum houses an exhibition featuring Egyptian Coptic textiles, oil lamps, and furnishings from the 2nd to the 9th centuries.
The naturalistic sarcophagus portraits from the 2nd century are particularly remarkable.
Within the college’s cloisters, 18th-century sculptures crafted by Ferdinand Tietz for the Electoral Palace garden can be viewed, alongside a selection of East Asian art on the second floor.
For newcomers to the city, a model of Trier as it appeared in 1800 and a film about Roman Augustus Treverorum provide valuable insights.
13. Barbara Baths
Between 2000 and 2015, Trier’s older bathing complex from the 2nd century underwent conservation efforts and was temporarily closed.
Since reopening, visitors can explore the archaeological site via metal stairways and footbridges that elevate them over excavated pools and through archways.
As you navigate the site, the expansive scale of these ruins becomes evident: in their prime, the baths spanned four hectares, making them the largest in the Roman world after Rome’s Trajan Baths.
Although the site has served as a quarry for many years, leaving none of the walls towering over a few meters, nine informational boards illustrate reconstructions of the baths and their once opulent furnishings over 1,900 years ago.
14. Karl Marx House
Located west of Trier’s center, the house where Karl Marx, renowned economist and philosopher, was born in 1818, originates from the 16th century and underwent expansion and remodeling in the 1720s under the occupation of a member of the Electorate’s chamber council.
Upon the recognition of the house’s historical significance in 1904, it was purchased by the SPD (Social Democratic Party). Following a series of tumultuous decades, the museum reopened in 1947. The permanent exhibition, enriched with artifacts such as a first edition of Das Kapital, examines the life, work, and profound influence of a figure whose impact on contemporary society is immeasurable.
At the time of writing, the Karl Marx House was undergoing renovations and was anticipated to reopen in May 2018.
15. Mariensäule
Prominently visible from miles away, the Marian column erected in the 1860s stands at a height of 300 meters on the left bank of the Moselle.
This monument surpasses the surrounding woodland at the top of the sandstone cliffs and was financed by donations from Trier’s Catholic community.
The combined height of the Neo-Gothic pedestal and the statue is a striking 40 meters.
The sculptor, Gottfried Renn, incorporated sandstone blocks from Trier’s Roman wall into the statue of Mary, possibly as a nod to the city’s long-standing Catholic heritage dating back to the 400s.
Visitors can take a bus to a spot only 20 meters below the column, where they can enjoy panoramic views of the Moselle and Trier.
