Trier - Germany's oldest city

Trier lies at the head of the scenic Mosel Valley, near the border with Luxembourg. An ancient Roman capital, Trier brags that it was inhabited by Celts for 1,300 years before Rome even existed. Today, Trier is thriving and offers a look at Germany's oldest Christian church, a most enjoyable market square, and its best Roman ruins.

We went for the entire weekend. On Friday night, we ventured about through the market square with a wonderful view of Trier Cathedral, the oldest bishop's church in Germany. The Cathedral contains a Roman central section with the original walls rising up to a height of 86 ft. Right next to that was the Church of Our Lady, the oldest Gothic church in Germany, built in the 13th century.

On Saturday morning, we started our Trier tour at the Porta Nigra. The Roman city of Trier acquired its North Gate in conjunction with the construction of a city wall (160-200 AD) measuring more than 6 km. The original Roman name is not recorded, but it has been known since the Middle Ages as the Porta Nigra or "black Gate" after small organisms darkened the surface of the white sandstone.

The next day we saw a bunch of other ruins and churches. Included was the Imperial Throne Room. The so-called Basilika, Constantine's throne room, is the largest surviving single-room structure from Roman times. The Romans wanted the architecture to express the magnificence and might of the emperor. Other ruins included the Imperial Baths. Going to the baths was an important part of Roman life: Over 1600 years ago, the Romans built one of the grandest and most impressive baths in the world: The Imperial Baths. We also saw the Amphitheater where cruel games with animal and gladiator combats were conducted for popular public entertainment. It was really powerful walking under the amphitheater in the area where the gladiators and the animals were waiting to go into the Amphitheater to fight. Another site was the Roman Bridge in Trier which is the oldest bridge in Germany. The stone pilings of the Roman Bridge date from AD 114-152. Our last Roman ruin visit was the Barbara Baths. At the time of construction in the 2nd century AD, the Barbara Baths were presumably 565 x 788 ft and thus the second largest bath of its type after the Baths of Trajan in Rome. Enjoy some more pics: