Trier
Germany's oldest town
The town's story begins around 16 B.C. when the Romans called it Augusta Treverorum and it is proud of its two thousand year old heritage. Roman emperors, bishops, electors and prominent citizens all left their mark on the town, as can be seen in Trier's magnificent art treasures and unique architectural monuments. The best known is the Porta Nigra, the massive Roman town gate.
Places of interest
The happy coexistence of the old and the new - the illustrious past and a modern, youthful lifestyle - is precisely what gives Trier its special charm. You come across most of the places of interest, such as the centre pieces of all nine of its UNESCO world heritage sites, as you stroll around the town centre and sightseeing is easily combined with shopping or taking a break for a glass of Moselle wine in the medieval market square. Trier's vineyards actually start just 500 meters from the amphitheatre.
Roman buildings: Porta Nigra, basilica, imperial baths and amphitheatre
 The most famous are the Porta Nigra gate, staggeringly high and built of colossal, weathered sandstone blocks and Constantine's Basilica whose interior is the largest single room to have survived since antiquity. The imperial baths were part of the largest bathing complex in the Roman empire and can also be explored below ground. The amphitheatre, the arena at the foot of Petrisberg hill that saw gladiatorial and animal combat, was where crowds of up to 20,000 cheered on the shows and is one of the venues for the modern-day Antiquity Festival together with the imperial baths.
Cathedral and Church of Our Lady
The present cathedral in Trier stands on the site of a former palace of Emperor Constantine and still contains part of the Roman original. Its art and architecture covers a time span of more than 1,650 years. Directly adjacent stands the earliest Gothic church in Germany, the Church of Our Lady, built in the 13th century.
Suggested excursions
Trier is an ideal base for discovering the countryside and highlights of the Moselle, Eifel, Hunsrück and Saar regions. It is also only a short hop across to Luxembourg, Belgium or France (where Metz and Nancy are towns well worth visiting).
 Luxembourg city
The capital of the Duchy of Luxembourg is not far away and this chic, busy yet laid-back city in a picturesque location, is well worth visiting. It is a city of opposites, with the impressive banking district and EU institutions contrasting sharply with the old quarter.
Saarburg
A small medieval town on the river Saar 25 kilometers from Trier, with a castle and a waterfall in the centre of its old quarter.
Central Moselle
The best ways to explore the Moselle downriver from Trier are by boat or by bike. The route takes you past idyllic tranquil wine villages and through Bernkastel-Kues, famous for its picturesque timber-framed houses, as far as Cochem with its imperial castle. |
