Trier: A Short Visit to Germany's Oldest City

On January 22, 2022 we spent a day in Trier, a city that is considered Germany's oldest. Ethan's grandparents were visiting, and we only had a few hours, which is not nearly enough for a place this old.

Augusta Treverorum

The Romans subdued the local tribe, the Treveri, and founded the city in the late first century BC as Augusta Treverorum, "the City of Augustus among the Treveri." In the late 3rd century it became one of four Roman capitals, and from 293 to 395 it was a residence of the Western Roman emperors, with a population of perhaps 75,000. The Roman monuments, the cathedral and the Church of Our Lady together make up a UNESCO World Heritage site, listed in 1986.

The Cathedral

The Dom St. Peter is considered the oldest church building still in use in Germany. Its preserved core dates to around 340, built of Roman brick, and some sources say Emperor Constantine had it built over a palace belonging to his mother, St. Helena. The Franks left it in ruins and the Vikings destroyed it again in 882. The westwork with its four towers is 11th century, and Gothic vaulting and cloisters were added in the 13th century. Its best-known relic is the Holy Tunic, the "Seamless Robe of Jesus," which is kept in an annex chapel and shown only rarely, most recently in 2012.

Next door, on the right in the first photo, is the Liebfrauenkirche, literally the "Church of Our Dear Lady," one of the most important early Gothic churches in Germany. Cloisters connect it to the cathedral, and archaeology shows that both stand on the foundations of Roman buildings. On the way to the Basilica we passed one of the cathedral's doors, with a door handle in the shape of a rooster.

A Toast

Ethan's grandparents were visiting, and over lunch his grandpa toasted Ethan with a "Prost!" The word comes from the Latin prosit, "may it be good for you."

The Hauptmarkt

The Hauptmarkt is the heart of the old town. The Marktkreuz ("market cross") in the middle was erected in 958 and is said to be the oldest in Germany. The fountain is the Petrusbrunnen, St. Peter's Fountain, with four allegorical women representing justice, fortitude, temperance and prudence, a few monkeys, and St. Peter on top.

The Porta Nigra

Porta Nigra is Latin for "black gate," a name that came about in the Middle Ages when the stone had darkened. The Roman name is lost. Construction began after 170 AD, and it is the best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps. After 1028 a Greek monk named Simeon lived as a hermit in the gate, and after he died in 1035 it was turned into two stacked churches, which saved it from further destruction. Napoleon had the churches removed in 1804 and the gate returned to its Roman form.

Only Ethan and I went inside and up.

The Basilica of Constantine

The last stop was the Basilica of Constantine, also called the Aula Palatina, which was Constantine's 67-meter throne hall. Today it is a Protestant church, and the Christmas trees were still up.

Trier deserves far more time than we gave it. We missed the 2nd-century Roman bridge over the Moselle, the oldest bridge north of the Alps still carrying traffic, and the Moselle wine country right outside the city. Next time.