Germany

Trier

WHS Score 3.48 Votes 114 Average 3.58

The Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier are the testimonies of a Roman colony and its recognition of Christianity.

Trier became a Roman colony in the first century CE and until now holds the best remaining collection of Roman monuments north of the Alps, such as the Porta Nigra. It was a large city, at the trading crossroads between major towns in France and along the Rhine, and the seat of prefects and during the reign of Constantine even the vice-emperor (Caesar) of the Western Empire. He also introduced Christianity. The Cathedral of St. Peter and the Church of Our Lady are both early church buildings.

Community Perspective: It’s a magnificent place and it can keep you occupied for a day as there is so much to see. This site is a bit under-reviewed, although the regional museum (Rheinische Landesmuseum Trier) and the birthplace of Karl Marx are recommended in addition to the Roman monuments.

>

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier (ID: 367)
Country
Germany
Status
Inscribed 1986 Site history
History of Trier
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • i
  • iii
  • iv
  • vi
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Ancient Rome
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
View all (26) .
Connections of Trier
Individual People
  • Helen of Constantinople
    According to Western Christian tradition Helena, whilst in Jerusalem, "discovered" the "Holy Tunic" of Jesus (The "seamless robe" worn shortly before or during his crucifixion. Its fate is described in John 19:23-24). She then sent it to Trier where it is now held in a Baroque Chapel of the Cathedral after its recovery from the interior of the High Altar in 1512.
  • Mapped or Illustrated by Blaeu
    Igel Column by Joan Blaeu

    See commons.wikimedia.org

  • Napoleon was here
    Wiki :- "During his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra should be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept, and the eastern tower not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally even wanted to completely tear down the church; allegedly, locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gallic festival hall before being turned into a church (in another version, they simply told him about its Roman origins); it is claimed that this prevented the destruction of the building and persuaded Napoleon instead to convert the gate back to its original form."
Trivia
History
Architecture
Damaged
Religion and Belief
  • Religious Relics
    The Seamless Robe of Jesus, kept in the dom of Trier
  • Holy Tunic
    According to Western Catholic tradition the "Seamless Tunic" was sent to Trier by Helen of Constantinople where it is now held in a Baroque Chapel of the Cathedral after its recovery from the interior of the High Altar in 1512. The relic is celebrated in an annual 10 day religious festival ("Heiliger-rock-tag") but the tunic is only shown on certain years. The last occasion was in 1996 and the next will be in 2012 (previously 1959, 1933, 1891)

    See de.wikipedia.org

  • Cathedrals
    Cath of St Peter
Constructions
  • Roman amphitheatres
    Roman amphitheatre
  • Notable Bridges
    the 2nd century AD Roman bridge (Römerbrücke) across the Moselle, the oldest bridge north of the Alps still crossed by traffic

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Baths
    Imperial baths and Barbara baths
  • Monumental Columns
    Igel Column: "a multi-storeyed Roman sandstone column in the municipality of Igel, Trier, Germany, dated to c. 250 AD. The column is the burial monument of the Secundinii cloth merchant family, and was built by two of the family members, Lucius Secundinius Aventinus and Lucius Secundinus Securus."

    See en.wikipedia.org

WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Built in the 4th century
    Porta Nigra, Constantine Basilica and the restored Cirucus Maximus, amphitheatre and thermae date from the time of Constantine the Great (305-337).
WHS Hotspots
WHS Names
  • Named after Adolf Hitler
    Porta Nigra Platz was changed to Hitlerplatz
  • Name changes
    From "Roman Monuments, Cathedral and Liebfrauen-Church in Trier" to "Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of our Lady in Trier" (2000)
News

No news.

Recent Visitors
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 24/09/23.

Noahfranc

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Squiffy

Trier had been on my bucket list for a long time, as a history buff, and it was a treat to finally be able to go there and go bit by bit through the extensive Roman ruins there. What remains of the bathhouse is surprisingly well-managed and allows one to get a sense of the size of the old Roman baths. Plus, it was cool to be able to walk through what would have been the underground service levels of the facility. The Black Gate well deserves its iconic status, as it's one of the best preserved Roman structures outside of the Mediterranean region. 

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 12/07/19.

Jakob Frenzel

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Jakob Frenzel

August 2018 - after our trip to France we finally arrived Germany again. The last few days we still wanted to visit the WHS sites that are on the road. And there were some more than we expected.

Trier is one of the oldest cities in Germany. The WHS is a combination of the roman and medieval sites, a nomination that would propbabaly not work anymore. But both are definitely worth a trip to Trier. Besides it is the birth town of Karl Marx, which explains the high number of chinese tourists. We visted the Porta Nigra, the roman Bath, and the medieval cathedrals. Great day, great visit, and good food and wine. There are also two breweries were old colleagues are working. So we had to make stops at both of them as well. on the other Mosel shore there is a great campground from which we could overlook the city.

The next day we continued along the Mosel and straight to Upper Rhine Valley. 

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 14/04/13.

Clyde

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Clyde

Trier is the oldest city in Germany and packed with Roman monuments and sites to see. The city's landmark is the Porta Nigra (Black Gate). Close to the Hauptmarkt there are the Dom (which houses the Holy Robe - on display April 13 to May 13) and the Church of Our Lady. Further ahead are the Imperial Roman Baths and the Evangelical Lutheran Church which are worth viewing. A great day trip and worth the overnight stay to see the sites without the tourist groups early in the morning.

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 01/05/05.

Klaus Freisinger

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Squiffy

Trier is the oldest city in Germany and there was a time when it was the second most important city in the Roman Empire after Rome itself - and it shows. I have rarely seen a city with such an impressive array of monuments from Antiquity onwards through many time periods up to the present day - a veritable cross section of European history that is remarkably well preserved (sometimes it helps to be off the beaten track). Of course, Roman and medieval monuments dominate the scene, especially the world-famous Porta Nigra (don't neglect to go inside), the cathedral and the Church of Our Lady next door. The city's history is especially connected to Emperor Constantine the Great and the conversion of the Empire to Christianity. I visited Trier for the huge exposition on Constantine on the 1700th anniversary of his marriage in Trier, which was great, but the city itself impressed me even more.

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 01/05/05.

Anonymous

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Squiffy

Germany’s capital of Roman Antiquity is a magnificent surprise. Located astride the Mosel River about six miles from the Luxembourg border, Trier is little known to most travelers who vacation in Europe, but it should be one of Germany’s most visited cities.

The oldest city in Germany as well as one of the oldest and most interesting on the continent, one motto says, “Before Rome, there was Trier.” Legend says that Trier was founded in 2000 BC (1300 years before Rome), and the Romans didn’t arrive until 14 BC. In 41 AD the Roman writer, Pomponius Mela, called Trier “urbs opulentissima,” a very opulent city.

… … in Trier while we walked just 2,000 steps, we witnessed and enjoyed 2,000 years of history.

From my book Invitation To Germany (google)

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 01/05/05.

Anonymous

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Squiffy

Trier is full of monuments worth seeing. Often overlooked is the town square just up the street from the Porta Nigra. This square turns into a wonderful Christmas Market during December with some of the best food in the country. The town square is also a street or two from St. Peter's Cathedral which is a great example of Romansque architecture. It houses the holy tunic of Christ. I enjoyed the city immensely. If you want to have a walk that you will enjoy, walk through the Kaiserthermen (Roman Baths) or the Ampitheater. Remember the Ampitheater goes down under as well.

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 01/05/05.

Ian Cade

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Ian Cade

I liked Trier and was surprised by the amount of high quality monuments in the city. The Porta Negra is very impressive, the Dom is stunning for its importance and its holy relic, a tunic supposedly worn by Christ. Then there is the Basilica of Constantine which is impressive for its age, the massive interior and architectural importance as being a forbearer to the Romanesque movement. The Amphitheatre is a little way out side the city walls but is quite large and provides a great place to sit and have a sandwich or run around like a school child (I opted for both with the emphasis a bit too much on the later!)

Not part of the UNESCO site is the birth place of Karl Marx! There is not much there, but it is nice to see none the less.

Trier has enough to occupy you for a day trip and makes a great one from Luxembourg as it is only about 30 minutes by train.

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 28/02/03.

Els Slots

Trier

Trier (Inscribed)

Trier by Els Slots

Trier is a small city in southwest Germany, very close to Luxemburg. It has an excellent location along the Moselle River. At first sight, it looks like a 'normal' German town, but you don't have to walk far to come eye to eye with Trier's Roman heritage. There's even so much of it that you get the impression that by accident you've been stranded in a German town in Italy.

There's a lot to see here, so I'll name some of the highlights. The large Dome of course, and the baths. And, somewhat out of the center of town, the huge Amphitheatre.

Really interesting also is the regional museum. One room there exhibits large mosaics in good condition that have been found in Trier. At the heart of the museum, an ornamented light blue grave monument is the centerpiece of the attraction. How beautiful the streets of Trier must have looked in Roman Times!

Keep reading 0 comments