Old, older, antique: 10 reasons to visit Trier

A great thinker was born in a small house (center): the philosopher and economist Karl Marx (1818-1883). His birthplace is now a museum. Chinese travel groups in particular like to visit birthplace of the co-author of the "Communist Manifesto".

The landmark of Trier, however, is the Porta Nigra, the Roman city gate which dates from 170 and was not given the name "Black Gate" until the Middle Ages, when the sandstone had darkened. The Porta Nigra is one of many monumental buildings left behind by the Romans in Trier.

The Romans founded "Augusta Treverorum" in 16 BC, making Tier the oldest city in Germany. The bridge over the Moselle was one of the first structures to be built by them. Even today its size and stability withstand modern traffic use.

Trier developed into the largest ancient city north of the Alps. Subsequently one of the largest thermal baths in the Roman Empire was built here. Inside there was a cold and a hot bath room, steam baths, massage rooms and underground heating passages. The high-tech world of antiquity!

A hobby archaeologist in 1993 made a sensational discovery in Trier: 2516 gold coins depicting 40 Roman emperors and their relatives. It is the largest Roman gold treasure in the world. It can be seen in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier. The current value of the treasure is estimated at about 3 million euros, though the honest finder received only 10,000 euros.

In ancient times only the really rich metropolises could afford an amphitheater and Trier was one of them. Up to 20,000 people followed the bloody gladiatorial games here. No other German city can boast so many Roman buildings, a clear case for UNESCO! Since 1986 Trier has been listed as part of the world cultural heritage of mankind.

As early as 313 Trier became a bishop's seat and it is here that the construction of a mighty church complex began. The foundations of St. Peter's Cathedral, one of the oldest and most magnificent in Germany, was built in the year 1000.

In 958 Trier was granted market rights. At the main market, the center of the medieval town is where you'll find the oldest pharmacy in Germany: the Löwenapotheke is mentioned in a deed of donation of 1214.

The Frankenturm is named after one of its inhabitants, the noble Franco von Senheim. Since the 11th century, the defiant walls served to defend the city. And the material comes - how could it be otherwise - from Roman buildings. In Trier there were eight such fortified residential towers, only three of which remain to this day.

The Renaissance and the Rococo period also left their mark on Trier: in the 17th and 18th centuries, the archbishops and electors of Trier resided in this festive palace. In the background: the huge Constantine basilica, another greeting from the Romans to their descendants!