"Trier - Roman City" a Trier Travel Page by ultchuk

In the summer of 2003 I was lucky to visit Trier. Trier is the oldest city of Germany and well known because of the many Roman buildings that are still there. Of course it was those buildings I visited.

Trier was founded in 16 BC as 'Augustus Trevorum' near a tribal sanctuary of the Celtic Treveri tribe. Later, during the Roman Empire, Trier became a provincial capital in the Roman Empire. Eventually Trier became the administrative center for the Western Roman Empire including all of Gaul, Britain and Spain. In its heyday in the 4th century A.D. it was seen as (almost) important and splendid as Rome itself. It was from Trier that six Caesars, including Constantine the Great, governed their far-flung Western European realm. At the time it had a population of 90,000, the same amount of inhabitants it has today.

A history and reputation like that alone make Trier worth more than just a detour. The city is a treasure trove of antiquities and stunning old architecture covering two millennia: from Roman through Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque to Neoclassical.