Trier, Germany
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
We first visited Trier in 1989. It was impressive then and we wanted to go back and spend a couple days to see the oldest city in Germany in 2022.
So, let’s explore together and learn about Trier.
Overview and City History
The city of Trier was founded by Augustus in 16 BCE (before the common era) as the first supply base for the Roman Army of the Rhine. It grew in importance and by 268 AD it was the capital of Gaul. In 306, Trier became the capital of the Western Roman Europe and the Emperor Constantine resided in this city.
Among the impressive buildings and structures built during his residence were the Imperial Baths, the audience Hall of the Basilica and two large Christian churches. Later these two churches became the Trier Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady.
By 402, the Rhine Army was withdrawn to protect Rome and Trier was sacked four times between 407 to 435. The tough times continued and by 480 was under control of the Franks. The once thriving city, with a population of around 80.000 was reduced to about 5.000 during the 100 year period.
During the Frankish time, Trier continued to have up periods followed by down periods. In 882 Trier was sacked by the Vikings
The Trier Bishop’s slowly converted the folks around the town and as a reward for their efforts, in 1257, the archbishops became one of the 7 Electors of the Holy Roman Empire. The city prospered from the honor of being a seat of power in the Holy Roman Empire and Trier became an important trading city again.
From 1618 to 1648, during the Thirty Year’s Religious War , Trier’s population had declined to under 4,000.
In 1688, during the War of Palatine Succession, most of the villages and castles on the Moselle River were destroyed and burned, but King Louis XIV (the Sun King) personally spared Trier from destruction, except for the city walls and left a starving population of about 2,500.
By 1794, the French Revolutionary Army occupied the city, and the Electorate of Trier was finished (the ruling clergy) and never came back. From 1794 to 1814, Trier was annexed by France.
Trier became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815 after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and became part of the German Empire in 1871.
In 1818, Karl Marx is born in Trier.
Here are best sites in the city:
Porta Nigra
The Porta Nigra (Black Gate), built by the Romans from 160-180 A.D., was the northern most gate of 4 in the walled city of Trier. It was built at the end of the second century and is 30 meters high and 36 meter wide. It is the largest Roman gate that has survived of the many fortified gates built by the Romans in Europe. No mortar was used to hold the gate’s sandstone blocks together—they were held together with iron pegs.
The defensive system of Trier was massive—4 main gates like the Porta Negra, 4 miles of walls with 47 towers.
Here is a picture from our 2022 visit. To get a good sense how large this structure is, note how tiny the people seem walking through the gate.
By 1016 the gate was intact but in many parts of this large structure, there was a lot of rubble with the roof gone and other parts not usable or decaying. Archbishop Poppo had the gate repaired and converted it into a church.
The gate’s real name has really been lost in historical records but due to the smoke and soot of hundreds of years, the walls have turned black and has earned the name the Black Gate.
This picture is from our first visit in 1989.
This is part of the old monastery of St. Simeon. Today it is part of the Tourist Information office and the City Museum.
Trier Cathedral
The Trier Cathedral is the oldest in Germany—it has over 1,700 years serving as a church, being first established in 326 AD. It is combination of architectural styles, as one would expect, for a house of worship that has been used for so many years. There are elements of Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque styles in this church.
The treasury has many important Christian relics including the Holy Tunic, the robe that Jesus was wearing when he was crucified, and a “holy nail” that was used during the Crucifixion and can be visited.
The Trier Cathedral. Part of the Cathedral dates back to 380 AD, making it the oldest church in Germany.
The Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche)
Built in the 1200s, this is the oldest Gothic church in Germany. The Liebfrauenkirche still has a Roman foundation, but nothing of the Roman era construction remains above ground.
The Constantine Basilica
The huge single-room hall was the throne room of Constantine the Great. It is 27 meters wide, 67 meters long and 33 meters high. This hall was built to express all who might enter—let there be no doubt of the magnificence and power of the emperor Constantine.
This is the Throne Room of Constantine. It is so large that 2 Porta Negra could fit inside.
Inside of the Constantine Basilica.
Market Square
The Hauptmarkt is the largest market square in Trier. The best part for most folks, beside the Porta Nigra, is the different well-preserved townhouses that line the square. Among the architectural styles that line the colorful square are Renaissance, Baroque, Classicist and Historicist.
It also has great shopping in an awesome setting.
This photo was taken in 1989. On the right are some of the colorful townhouses. In the distance is the Porta Negra.
This 2022 picture is a good example of how large and ornate the Market Square is in the old town area. You can see the Market Cross and St. Peter’s Fountain in the foreground. The tall spire in the center of this picture St. Gangolf’s Church that was completed in 1509.
Another picture of the Market Square area.
The House of the Three Wise Men was built in 1230. While it is hard to recognize in this picture, since the outside café area hides the first floor and the structure has been modified for commercial use, the actual doorway is on the second level on the right side and was only accessible by a retractable ladder. The nobility liked to have the protection of a tower like fortress home.
The white building is called Steipe and was constructed to entertain visiting dignitaries. The red house is a 17th century baker’s guild house.
St. Peter’s Fountain in the Market Square was built in 1595.
The Market Cross has been standing in the square since 958. The cross is a tribute to the trading rights granted to the city by King Otto the Great.
The Red Tower was built in 1647. It is part of the Electoral Palace and also a bell tower.
The Red Tower
The Rococo Palace of the Electors
This was added to the Constantine Basilica in the late 1700s. It is considered the best example of Rococo architecture in Germany. The gardens are quite impressive with wonderful statues.
As one of the 7 electors of the Holy Roman Empire, Trier was a very important city in times past during medieval Europe.
Today, the palace serves as offices for some the government officials and there are only limited tours, if any, inside the structure.
The Pink Rococo Palace and the park grounds. This picture was taken in 1989.
Here is a picture of the palace in 2022. I’m not absolutely sure, but the palace appears to have been repainted since our visit in 1989. I have found several old pictures that show the color of the palace as pink as in our 1989 picture.
The garden area of the Rococo Palace of the Electors.
The fountain in the palace grounds
The Imperial Baths
While the baths were never completed, large sections of the 19-meter walls remain. This is probably due to the fact that parts of the existing baths were later used to construct the ring wall built to protect Trier.
The ruins of the Imperial baths.
Another picture of the Imperial Baths
The Trier Museum (Landesmuseum)
This is the best collection of Roman artifacts in Germany. These finds give us today some very good insights into Roman life of that period.
Among the best displays are the mosaic floors, with the most impressive display is from the Imperial Baths (with 25 square meter charioteer with 4 horses), and excellent quality gold coins (over 2600 are on display) with Constantine’s head on one side of the coin (Trier used to be an Imperial Mint).
Also notable is the sculpture of the Neumagen wine ship, which is a stone model of a wine ship carved for the tomb of a local wine merchant.
The picture here is from the wonderful Winestube Kesselstatt we found near the cathedral. It is a replica of the actual tomb and not in the museum.
The winestube.
Along the Mosel River there are 2 treadwheel cranes one that dates to 1413 (a Gothic style) and the other much younger one constructed in 1774 (Baroque style).
Since this is the birth place of Karl Marx, here is a photo of a statue of him. Our taxi driver told us it was donated by the Chinese Government.
Our Final Thoughts
Trier is a great city to visit. We recommend a couple of days or more to see the sites and enjoy this unique place. We hope you enjoyed this report.
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ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
