Considered to be Germany’s oldest city, Trier has a delightful historic core. Its market square is surrounded by half-timber buildings and former guild halls in a rainbow of colors. Plus, the cathedral and Porta Nigra city gate are phenomenal.
Considered to be Germany’s oldest city, Trier has a delightful historic core. Its market square is surrounded by half-timber buildings and former guild halls in a rainbow of colors. Plus, the cathedral and Porta Nigra city gate are phenomenal.
The white building along Dietrichstrasse and the Main Market of Tier is called Steipe. It was constructed in the mid-15th century for entertaining the town’s visiting dignitaries. Perched above the outdoor restaurant are reproduced sculptures of three Apostles and St. Helena. The neighbor on the left is the Red House, a 17th century baker’s guild. An inscription claims the city of Trier is 1,300 years older than Rome.
Hauptmarkt 14, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
Several red and white half-timbered buildings stand side-by-side along the Hauptmarkt. This square in the center of town hosts a lively market six days a week and is highly decorated during Christmas. Trier was once called the “Rome of the North” because it was the capitol of the Roman northern territories for centuries.
Judengasse 1, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
In the center of the market square in the old town of Trier, Germany, is a Renaissance water fountain with four allegorical sculptures. This statue with the broken column represents fortitude. The other three (off camera) symbolize justice, temperance and prudence.
Hauptmarkt 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
Hohe Domkirche St. Peter zu Trier was completed in 1270, making it Germany’s oldest Roman Catholic cathedral. The stone Romanesque façade of the Cathedral of Trier gives this UNESCO World Heritage Site the appearance of a medieval castle. Inside are the relics of Saint Helena. She was an empress, the mother of Constantine the Great, and the first Christian emperor of Rome. Helena claims to have discovered the True Cross of Christ’s crucifixion in 328 AD.
Liebfrauenstraße 1, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
The exquisite altars in the Trier Cathedral compete for your eyes’ attention. Enshrined here is part of a chain used to imprison St. Peter. Other religious relics include the Holy Robe that Jesus wore before his crucifixion and one of the Holy Nails used to hang him from the cross. Finally, there is this beautiful Baroque stucco dome in the west-end choir vault.
Liebfrauenstraße 1, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
Archbishop Theodoric of Wied ordered the building of the Liebfrauenkirche in the early 13th century. This Roman Catholic minor basilica, named Church of Our Lady, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for being one of the best and earliest examples of Gothic architecture in Germany. It was finished in 1260 which was about a decade before the neighboring Cathedral of Trier on the left was consecrated.
Liebfrauenstraße 1, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
This cross-shaped vaulted dome adorns the rose petal design of the Church of Our Lady in Trier, Germany. The twelve pointed Rosa Mystica is symbolic of the Virgin Mary and the twelve Apostles. The delicate floral paintings are highlighted by the light that streams through the eight windows.
Liebfrauenstraße 1, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
As you walk along Simenstraße in Trier, Germany, and are admiring architecture that dates back centuries and even millenniums, you notice this colorful Moorish building because it seems so out of place. The Dreikönigenhaus was built in 1230 as a tower house for an alderman’s family. Notice the suspended door on the second level. This used to be its only entrance and was accessible by a retractable wooden stairs.
Simeonstraße 19, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
The Romans built Porta Nigra around 180 AD. While savoring its grandeur, you begin to appreciate why Trier claims to be Germany’s oldest city. Black Gate was one of four entrances to the fortified town. It is the sole survivor. The others were dismantled for building materials during the Middle Ages. Porta Nigra was reconstructed upon the orders of Napoléon Bonaparte in the early 19th century. The huge sandstone blocks without mortar stretch 75 feet wide and 90 feet tall.
Porta Nigra, Porta-Nigra-Platz, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
This sculpture of a bearded man carrying the baby Jesus on his shoulders is St. Simeon. He was a monk and later a deacon who, after several pilgrimages to the Holy Land, chose to be locked in a tower inside the Porta Nigra, a 2nd century Roman Gate at Trier. Soon after he was buried there in 1035, a series of miracles at his grave led to his canonization. This statue is in Porta-Nigra-Platz across a street called Simenstraße.
Porta-Nigra-Platz 8 54292 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
This basilica is named after Constantine the Great who was an emperor of the Roman Empire and founder of the Byzantine Empire in the early 4th century. He had the Aula Palatina built in 310 AD as part of his palace. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is now the home of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland.
Konstantinpl. 10, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
When Johann Philip von Walderdorff became the Archbishop-Elector of Trier in 1756, he immediately ordered the building of this south wing of the Electoral Palace for his home. The flamboyant Rococo statues were created by Ferdinand Tietz, an 18th century master sculptor. His work, typically of idealized female forms and mythological creatures, can be found in numerous German palaces, castles and churches.
Konstantinpl. 10, 54290, Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
This pool is the centerpiece of the Palastgarten which was designed in a Greco-Roman style. It is surrounded by white, ornate statues that stand majestically in front of chiseled tall hedges. Follow this path towards the Landesmuseum that contains Roman artifacts and a few steps further are remnants of the Medieval city walls. Or just sit on one of several benches and enjoy the tranquility of the five stage water fountain.
Konstantinpl. 10, 54290 Trier, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow See On Map Directions
Nicknamed Zwei-Burgen-Stadt, which means Two Castle City, Weinheim is a small town of about 40,000 people in the Rhine-Neckar triangle whose history dates back to 755 AD. This is the Peter Evangelical Church. It was built in 1912 in an Art Nouveau style. Beside it is the Weschnitz River which is a 36 mile tributary of the Rhine River.
Grundelbachstraße 114, 69469 Weinheim, Germany Enlarge/Slideshow