Trier is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
on the banks of the
Moselle RiverThe Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining it at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....
. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Trier is not the only city claiming to be Germany's oldest, but it is the only one that bases this assertion on having the longest history as a
city, as opposed to a mere settlement or army camp.
Trier lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of ruddy sandstone in the west of the state of
Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 federal states of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz....
, near the German border with
LuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small, landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany...
and within the important Mosel wine-growing region.
Trier is the oldest seat of a Christian
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
north of the
AlpsThe Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
. In the Middle Ages, the Archbishop of Trier was an important ecclesiastical prince, as the
Archbishopric of TrierThe Archbishopric of Trier was a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany, that existed from Carolingian times until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Its suffragans were the dioceses of Metz, Toul and Verdun. Since the 9th century the Archbishops of Trier were simultaneously princes and since the 11th...
controlled land from the French border to the Rhine. He was also one of the seven
electorsThe Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors....
of the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
.
With an approximate population of 100,000, Trier was until 2005 ranked fourth alongside
Kaiserslautern' is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century and is within easy reach of Paris , Frankfurt , and Luxembourg .Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
among the state's largest cities, after
MainzMainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was a politically important seat of the Prince-elector of Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the...
, Ludwigshafen and
KoblenzKoblenz is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence) is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the...
. The nearest large cities in Germany are
SaarbrückenSaarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city sits at the heart of a metropolitan area that bounds westwards to Dillingen and northeastwards to Neunkirchen, in which most of the people of the Saarland live....
, some 80 km southeast, and
KoblenzKoblenz is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence) is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the...
, about 100 km northeast. The closest city to Trier is the capital of
LuxembourgThe city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg...
, some 50 km to the southwest.
Trier is home to the
University of TrierThe modern University of Trier , in the German city of Trier, was established in the year 1970, starting with 360 students matriculated on October 15, 1970. The new University campus is located on top of the Tarforst heights, an urban district on the outskirts of the town. The University has seven...
, the administration of the
Trier-SaarburgTrier-Saarburg is a district in the west of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bitburg-Prüm, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Birkenfeld, Sankt Wendel , and Merzig-Wadern . To the west it borders Luxembourg...
district and the seat of the ADD (
Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion), which until 1999 was the borough authority of Trier. It is one of the five "
central placesCentral place theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the number, size and location of human settlements in an urban system. The theory was created by the German geographer Walter Christaller, who asserted that settlements simply functioned as 'central places' providing services to...
" of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Along with Luxembourg,
MetzMetz is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers....
and Saarbrücken, fellow constituent members of the QuattroPole union of cities, it also forms a central place of the greater region encompassing Saar-Lor-Lux (
SaarlandSaarland is one of the 16 federal states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest of the German Flächenländer , i.e., those that are not city-states...
,
LorraineLorraine is one of the 26 régions of France. It is the only administrative region with two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
and
LuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small, landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany...
), Rhineland-Palatinate and
WalloniaWallonia , formally the Walloon Region , is the predominantly French-speaking southern region of Belgium. It makes up about 33% of the population and 55% of the territory of Belgium. Walloon Region is also the name given to the regional government of Wallonia...
.
Geography
Trier sits in a hollow midway along the
MoselleThe Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining it at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....
valley, with the most significant portion of the city on the east bank of the river. Wooded and
vineyardA vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture....
-covered slopes stretch up to the
HunsrückThe Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
plateaux in the South and the
EifelThe Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.-Geography:...
in the North. The border with the
Grand-Duchy of LuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small, landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany...
is some 15 km distant.
Neighbouring municipalities
Listed in clockwise order, beginning with the northernmost; all municipalities belong to the Trier-SaarburgTrier-Saarburg is a district in the west of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bitburg-Prüm, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Birkenfeld, Sankt Wendel , and Merzig-Wadern . To the west it borders Luxembourg...
district
SchweichSchweich is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Moselle, approx. 10 km northeast of Trier....
, Kenn and Longuich (all part of the
VerbandsgemeindeA Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit unique to the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate. There are 163 Verbandsgemeinden, which are grouped into the 24 districts and subdivided into nearly 2200 Ortsgemeinden.Most of the Verbandsgemeinden were established in 1969. Formerly the name of...
Schweich an der Römischen Weinstraße),
MertesdorfMertesdorf is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near Trier. Grünhaus is a part of Mertesdorf.-External links:*...
, Kasel,
WaldrachWaldrach is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near Trier.-External links:* *...
, Morscheid, Korlingen, Gutweiler, Sommerau and Gusterath (all in the
Verbandsgemeinde RuwerRuwer is a Verbandsgemeinde with 18,014 inhabitants on the river Ruwer near Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is famous for the wine from the wine-growing region Mosel, which previously was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, and which was founded by the Romans...
), Hockweiler, Franzenheim (both part of the Verbandsgemeinde Trier-Land),
KonzKonz is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Saar and Moselle, approx. 8 km southwest of Trier....
(Verbandsgemeinde Konz), Igel, Trierweiler,
AachAach is a municipality in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is part of Trier-Land, a Verbandsgemeinde.- History :The settlements on Aach's ground date back to the Bronze Age. Later there also was a settlement of the Roman Empire. The current municipality was first mentioned in the year...
, Newel, Kordel (Eifel), Zemmer (all in the Verbandsgemeinde Trier-Land)
Organisation of city districts
The Trier urban area is divided into
19 city districts. For each district there is an
Ortsbeirat (local council) of between 9 and 15 members, as well as an
Ortsvorsteher (local representative). The local councils are charged with hearing the important issues that affect the district, although the final decision on any issue rests with the city council. The local councils nevertheless have the freedom to undertake limited measures within the bounds of their districts and their budgets.
The districts of Trier with area and inhabitants (July 2007):
| Official district number |
District with associated sub-districts |
Area in km² |
Inhabitants |
| 11 |
Mitte/Gartenfeld |
2.978 |
12,648 |
| 12 |
Nord (Nells Ländchen, Maximin) |
3.769 |
14,256 |
| 13 |
Süd (St. Barbara, St. Matthias or St. Mattheis) |
1.722 |
9,409 |
| 21 |
Ehrang/Quint |
26.134 |
9,397 |
| 22 |
Pfalzel |
2.350 |
3,558 |
| 23 |
Biewer |
5.186 |
1,985 |
| 24 |
Ruwer/Eitelsbach |
9.167 |
3,142 |
| 31 |
West/Pallien |
8.488 |
7,117 |
| 32 |
Euren (Herresthal) |
13.189 |
4,116 |
| 33 |
Zewen (Oberkirch) |
7.496 |
3,695 |
| 41 |
Olewig |
3.100 |
3,312 |
| 42 |
Kürenz (Alt-Kürenz, Neu-Kürenz) |
5.825 |
8,578 |
| 43 |
Tarforst |
4.184 |
6,827 |
| 44 |
Filsch |
1.601 |
830 |
| 45 |
Irsch |
4.082 |
2,410 |
| 46 |
Kernscheid |
3.768 |
999 |
| 51 |
Feyen/Weismark |
5.095 |
5,845 |
| 52 |
Heiligkreuz (Alt-Heiligkreuz, Neu-Heiligkreuz, St. Maternus) |
2.036 |
6,766 |
| 53 |
Mariahof (St. Michael) |
7.040 |
3,212 |
Trier is a common surname for a group of traveling gypsies around the southern-half of Russia,
who settled in Russia in the 18th century.
History
According to the
Gesta TreverorumThe Gesta Treverorum is a collection of histories, legends, wars, records of the Archbishops of Trier, writings of the Popes, and other records that were collected by the monks of the St. Matthias Abbey in Trier. It was begun in the 12th century and was continued until 1794 when the Archbishopric...
, the city was founded by
TrebetaTrebeta was the legendary founder of Trier according to the Gesta Treverorum . He was the son of Ninus, King of Assyria, by a wife prior to his marriage to Queen Semiramis. His stepmother Semiramis despised him, and when she took over the kingdom after the death of his father Ninus, Trebeta left...
, an
AssyriaAssyria was a civilization centered on the Upper Tigris river, in Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times in history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n prince, centuries before
ancient RomeAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. The
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
subdued the
TreveriThe Treveri or Treviri were a tribe of Gauls who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle from around 150 BCE, at the latest, until their eventual absorption into the Franks...
in the 1st century BC and established
Augusta Treverorum (Lit: August (Regal, noble) [City] of the Treveri) in 30 BC. Although the name is more likely to be taken from the title Augustus held by the Princeps or head of state at the time, Augustus Caesar. The city later became the capital of the Roman province of
Gallia BelgicaGallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. The indigenous population of southern Gallia Belgica consisted of a mixture of Celtic and Germanic tribes, often described as the Belgae...
, as well as the Roman prefecture of Gaul. The
Porta NigraThe Porta Nigra is a large Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps and has been designated a World Heritage Site....
counts among the Roman architecture of the city. A residence of the Western Roman Emperor, Roman Trier was the birthplace of Saint
AmbroseSaint Ambrose was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century. He is counted as one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:...
. In 395 the Roman administration abandoned the city, leaving the locals to their own defense; this marked the end of the effective authority of the Empire in Gaul.
The
FranksThe Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic tribal confederation first attested in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul...
occupied Trier from the Roman administration in 459 AD. In 870 it became part of
Eastern FranciaEast Francia , known variously as Francia Orientalis or the Kingdom of the East Franks, was the realm allotted to Louis the German by the 843 Treaty of Verdun...
, which developed into the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
. Relics of
Saint MatthiasSaint Matthias , according to the Acts of the Apostles, was the apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus and his suicide.- Biography :...
brought to the city initiated widespread pilgrimages. The bishops of the city grew increasingly powerful, and the
Archbishopric of TrierThe Archbishopric of Trier was a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany, that existed from Carolingian times until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Its suffragans were the dioceses of Metz, Toul and Verdun. Since the 9th century the Archbishops of Trier were simultaneously princes and since the 11th...
was recognized as an
electorateThe Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors....
of the empire, one of the most powerful states of Germany. The
University of TrierThe modern University of Trier , in the German city of Trier, was established in the year 1970, starting with 360 students matriculated on October 15, 1970. The new University campus is located on top of the Tarforst heights, an urban district on the outskirts of the town. The University has seven...
was founded in the city in 1473.
In the 17th century, the Archbishops and Prince-Electors of Trier relocated their residences to
PhilippsburgPhilippsburg is a town in Germany, in the district of Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg.-History:Before 1632, Philippsburg was known as "Udenheim"....
Castle in
EhrenbreitsteinEhrenbreitstein Fortress is a fortress on the mountain of the same name on the east bank of the Rhine opposite the town of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate....
, near
KoblenzKoblenz is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence) is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the...
. A session of the
ReichstagThe Reichstag was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently of the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945...
was held in Trier in 1512, during which the demarcation of the
Imperial CircleAn Imperial Circle comprised a regional grouping of territories of the Holy Roman Empire, primarily for the purpose of organizing a common defensive structure and of collecting the imperial taxes, but also as a means of organization within the Reichstag and the Reichskammergericht.Each circle had...
s was definitively established.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Trier was sought after by
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, who invaded during the
Thirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe...
, the
War of the Grand AllianceThe Nine Years' War , also known as the War of the Grand Alliance, the War of the League of Augsburg, formerly the War of the Palatine Succession or the War of the English Succession, and also the Williamite War and King William's War – was fought in the late 17th century primarily on mainland...
, the
War of the Spanish SuccessionThe War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, principally the Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, and the Duchy of Savoy, against the Kingdoms of France and Spain and the Electorate of Bavaria, over a possible unification of the Kingdoms of...
, and the
War of the Polish SuccessionThe War of the Polish Succession was a major European war sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that widened as France and Spain, the two Bourbon powers, attempted to check the power of the Austrian Habsburgs in western Europe...
. France succeeded in finally claiming Trier in 1794 during the
French Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, and the electoral archbishopric was dissolved. After the
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionized European armies and played...
ended in 1815, Trier passed to the
Kingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918, until the defeat of Germany in World War I, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire...
.
Karl MarxKarl Heinrich Marx was a Germanphilosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist and revolutionary, whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism...
was born in the city in 1818.
As part of the Prussian Rhineland, Trier developed economically during the 19th century. The city rose in revolt during the
revolutions of 1848 in the German states"Germany" at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 was a collection of 39 states loosely bound together in the German Confederation. As nationalist sentiment crystallized into resistance to the traditional political structure, repeated calls for freedom, democracy and national unity came to threaten...
, although the rebels were forced to concede. It became part of the
German EmpireThe German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871 to 1918, when it became a German republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II .The term Second Reich...
in 1871.
Trier was heavily bombed and bombarded in 1944 during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The city became part of the new state of
Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 federal states of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz....
after the war. The university, dissolved in 1797, was restarted in the 1970s, while the
Cathedral of TrierThe Cathedral of Saint Peter, Trier , the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop Bishop of Trier, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, is the oldest cathedral in Germany...
was reopened in 1974. Trier officially celebrated its 2,000th anniversary in 1984.
Main sights
Trier is well known for its well-preserved Roman and medieval buildings, which include:
- the Porta Nigra
The Porta Nigra is a large Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps and has been designated a World Heritage Site....
, the best preserved Roman city gateA city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
north of the AlpsThe Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
;
- ruins of three Roman baths
The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The complex is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing....
, among them the largest Roman baths north of the Alps;
- the huge Constantine Basilica
The Basilica of Constantine or Aula Palatina at Trier is a Roman palace basilica, that was built by emperor Constantine in the beginning of the 4th century AD....
, a basilicaThe Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building , usually located in the forum of a Roman town. In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC.Basilicas were also used for religious purposes...
in the original Roman sense, being the 67 m long throne hall of Roman EmperorThe Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin titles such as imperator , augustus, caesar and princeps were all associated with it...
Constantine; it is today used as a ProtestantProtestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the major divisions within Christianity, together with the Roman...
church.
- the Trier Cathedral ( or Dom St. Peter), a Roman Catholic church which dates back to Roman times and is home to the Holy Tunic, a garment with a recorded history back to the 12th century, in Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
tradition said to be the robe JesusJesus of Nazareth —also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity. Within most Christian denominations...
was wearing when he died. It is only exhibited every few decades, at irregular intervals.
- The Liebfrauenkirche (German for Church of Our Lady
As a general concept, Our Lady may refer to:*Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth*Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic teachings...
), which is one of the most important early GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedrals in Germany and falls into the architectural tradition of the French Gothic cathedrals;
- the Roman amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue for spectator sports, concerts, rallies, or theatrical performances. There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word 'amphitheatre' is used: Ancient amphitheatres, built by the ancient Romans, were large central performance spaces...
;
- the 2nd century AD Roman bridge
The Römerbrücke in Trier over the Mosel is the oldest standing bridge in Germany. Its stone pillars date from the 2nd century AD.- Further reading :...
(Römerbrücke) across the Moselle River, the oldest bridge north of the Alps still crossed by traffic;
- St. Matthias Abbey (Abtei St. Matthias), a still-in-use monastery in whose medieval church the only apostle
In Christianity, apostles were missionaries among the leaders in the Early Church and, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus Christ himself. The term was also used, especially by the Gospel of Luke, for "the Twelve," Jesus' inner circle of disciples...
north of the Alps is held to be buried
- St. Gangolf Church was the city's market church that rivalled the Archbishop's Trier Cathedral.
- the church of St. Paulin, which is one of the most important Baroque
Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. New architectural concerns for color, light and...
churches in Rhineland-Palatinate and may have been in parts designed by the famous architect Balthasar Neumann' was a German military engineer and architect who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Italian, and French elements to design some of the most impressive buildings of the period, including the Würzburg Residence and the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy...
- two old treadwheel
A treadwheel is a form of animal engine typically powered by humans. It may resemble a water wheel in appearance, and can be worked either by a human treading paddles set into its circumference , or by a human or animal standing inside it .Uses of treadwheels included raising water, to power...
craneA crane is a lifting machine, generally equipped with a winder , wire ropes or chains and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
s, one being the GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
"Old Crane" (Alte Krahnen) or "Trier Moselle Crane" (Trierer Moselkrahn) from 1413, and the other the 1774 BaroqueBaroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. New architectural concerns for color, light and...
crane called the "(Old) Customs Crane" ((Alter) Zollkran) or "Younger Moselle Crane" (Jüngerer Moselkran) (see List of historical harbour cranes)
- the old Jewish cemetery (Weidegasse)
Museums
- Rheinisches Landesmuseum (one of the two most important German archaeological museums for the Roman period, along with the Römisch-Germanisches Museum in Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants...
)
- Städtisches Museum Simeonstift (history of Trier, displaying among other exhibits a model of the medieval city)
- Toy Museum of Trier
- Ethnological and open air museum Roscheider Hof
The Roscheider Hof Open Air Museum is the open air museum and Folklore Museum of the Greater SaarLorLux Region. The museum is situated in Konz, Germany, on the Saar and Mosel rivers, 8 km west of Trier and 30 km east of Luxembourg. It is a museum for rural cultural history in northwest...
, a museum in the neighboring town of KonzKonz is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Saar and Moselle, approx. 8 km southwest of Trier....
, right at the city limits of Trier, which shows the history of rural culture in the northwest Rhineland Palatinate and in the area where Germany, Luxembourg and Lorraine meet.
- Fell Exhibition Slate Mine
The Fell Exhibition Slate Mine is a former slate mine in Germany located about 20 km east from Trier and about 60 km east from Luxembourg next to the villages Fell and Thomm. The exhibition mine can be visited every day from April to October...
; site in the municipality of Fell, 20 kilometers from Trier, containing an underground mine, a mine museum, and a slate mining trail
- Karl Marx House; a museum exhibiting Marx's personal history, volumes of poetry, original letters, and photographs with personal dedications. There's also a collection of rare first editions and international editions of his works, as well as exhibits on the development of socialism in the 19th century.
Education
Trier is home to the
University of TrierThe modern University of Trier , in the German city of Trier, was established in the year 1970, starting with 360 students matriculated on October 15, 1970. The new University campus is located on top of the Tarforst heights, an urban district on the outskirts of the town. The University has seven...
, founded in 1473, closed in 1796 and restarted in 1970. The city also has the
Trier University of Applied SciencesThe Trier University of Applied Sciences is a Fachhochschule located in Trier, Germany. With 6100 students , it is the largest University of Applied Sciences in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate...
.
There are various
Kindergärten, primary schools and secondary schools in Trier, such as the
Humboldt Gymnasium Trier,
Max Planck Gymnasium and the
Pestalozzi-Hauptschule.
Annual events
- Every summer Trier hosts Germany's biggest Roman festival, Brot und Spiele
Brot und Spiele is Germany's biggest Roman festival, annually held in Germany's oldest city, Trier. The festival takes place at two of the city's Roman monuments: the Amphitheatre hosts theatre performances that include many gladiator fights and the Imperial Baths are used to display the civil and...
(GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
for Bread and Games).
- Trier has been the base for the German round
The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a rally-event that has been on the World Rally Championship calendar regularly since the 2002 season. Previous events have been hosted by e.g. Frankfurt, Mainz and Koblenz since 1982. Beginning in 2000, it was relocated to the region around Trier.- Characteristics...
of the World Rally ChampionshipThe World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver, co-driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system...
since 2000, with the rally's presentation held next to the Porta Nigra.
- Trier holds a lavish Christmas street festival every year called the Trier Christmas Market near the Cathedral of Trier
The Cathedral of Saint Peter, Trier , the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop Bishop of Trier, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, is the oldest cathedral in Germany...
. The last one was held from 26 November to 22 December 2008.
Infrastructure
Trier has direct railway connections to many cities. Nearest cities by train are Cologne, Saarbrücken and Luxemburg. Via the motorways A1, A48 and A64 Trier is linked with Koblenz, Saarbrücken and Luxemburg. Nearest international airports are in Luxemburg (0:40 h by car), Frankfurt-Hahn (1:00 h), Saarbrücken (1:00 h), Frankfurt (2:00 h) and Cologne/Bonn (2:00 h). The Moselle River is an important waterway and is also used for river cruises.
Sports
Major sports clubs in Trier include:
- SV Eintracht Trier 05
SV Eintracht Trier 05 is a German football club based in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate. It was formed in 1948 out of the merger of the predecessor sides Westmark Trier and Eintracht Trier .-Pre war :...
, association football
- TBB Trier
TBB Trier is a basketball club based in Trier, Germany that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Trier Arena....
, basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
- DJK/MJC Trier, women's team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass and bounce a ball to throw it into the goal of the opposing team...
- Trier Cardinals, baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
- PST Trier Stampers
The PST Trier Stampers are the first American Football team in Trier, Germany, the country's oldest city. Founded in 1989, the Trier Stampers are one of the oldest German American Football teams in existence.-History as Trier Saints:...
, American FootballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
- SG Turm Trier, chess
Chess is a board game played between two players. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from a similar, much older game of Indian origin...
Notable residents
- Eucharius
Saint Eucharius is venerated as the first bishop of Trier. He lived in the second half of the third century. According to an ancient legend, he was one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, and was sent to Gaul by Saint Peter as bishop, together with the deacon Valerius and the subdeacon...
(died ~250), first bishop of Trier
- Valerius
Saint Valerius was a semi-legendary bishop of Trier. His feast day is 29 January.-Legend:According to an ancient legend, he was a follower of Saint Eucharius, the first bishop of Trier...
(†320), second bishop of Trier
- Helena
Saint Helena also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople was the consort of Emperor Constantius, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I. She is traditionally credited with finding the relics of the True Cross.-Family life:Helena's birthplace is not known with certainty...
(ca. 250-330), saint, mother of Constantine the Great
- Paulinus
Saint Paulinus of Trier was bishop of Trier and a supporter of Athanasius in the conflict with Arianism. At the Synod of Arles of 353 he was isolated among Arians, and was exiled, to Phrygia, being effectively singled out by the Emperor Constantius II. He died in exile.Paulinus was from Gascony...
(†358), bishop of Trier
- Ausonius
Decimius Magnus Ausonius was a Latin poet and rhetorician, born at Burdigala .-Biography:Decimius Magnus Ausonius was born in Bordeaux in ca. 310. His father was a noted physician of Greek ancestry and his mother was descended on both sides from long-established aristocratic Gallo-Roman families...
(ca. 310–395), roman consul and poet
- Ambrose
Saint Ambrose was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century. He is counted as one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:...
(ca. 340–397), saint
- Kaspar Olevianus
Kaspar Olevianus or Caspar Olevian was a significant German Reformed theologian during the Protestant Reformation and along with Zacharius Ursinus was co-author of Heidelberg Catechism.-External links:*...
(1536–1587), theologian
- Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a Germanphilosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist and revolutionary, whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism...
(1818–1883), social philosopher
- Frederick A. Schroeder
Frederick A. Schroeder was an American industrialist and politician of German descent. As mayor of Brooklyn—before the city's merger with New York—and New York state senator, Schroeder earned a reputation for his fight against the political machine of the Brooklyn ring and for more efficient city...
(1833-1899), American politician, mayor of BrooklynBrooklyn is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located southwest of Queens on the western tip of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area...
- Oswald von Nell-Breuning
Oswald von Nell-Breuning SJ was a Roman Catholic theologian and sociologist.Born in Trier, Germany into an aristocratic family, Nell-Breuning was ordained in 1921 and appointed Professor of Ethics at the University of Frankfurt am Main in 1928...
(1890–1991), theologian
- Xavier Bout de Marnhac
Lieutenant General Xavier Bout de Marnhac is a French military commander and former head of the Kosovo Force .-Source:* -External links:* from French Government website...
(born 1951), French general, former commander of KFOR
- Ernst Ulrich Deuker
Ernst Ulrich Deuker is a bass player and contrabass clarinet player. He became known with the band Ideal....
(born 1954), musician of IdealIdeal was one of the more successful German Neue Deutsche Welle music groups. It is best known for the songs "Blaue Augen" , "Berlin", and "Monotonie" .- History :...
- Guildo Horn
Guildo Horn is a German schlager singer.He is mainly famous for his eccentric stage persona, which includes outrageous clothes and very extroverted antics....
(born 1963), singer
- Eric Jelen
Eric Jelen is a former tennis player from Germany, who won one singles and five doubles titles during his professional career...
(born 1965), tennis player
- Martin Bambauer
Martin Bambauer is a German organist and church musician.Bambauer studied church music at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf with Hans-Dieter Möller and passed his examination with distinction for improvisation . Further he studied with Daniel Roth in Frankfurt am Main and passed 2001...
(born 1970), church musician
Sister cities
MetzMetz is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers....
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
since 1957
Ascoli PicenoAscoli Piceno is a town in the Marche region, Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is 51,434 inhabitants.-Geography:...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, since 1958
GloucesterGloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
,
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, since 1959
's-Hertogenbosch's-Hertogenbosch — translated in French as Bois-le-Duc, in German as Herzogenbusch, in Spanish as Bolduque and in Italian as Boscoducale — is a municipality in the Netherlands, and also the capital of the province of North Brabant...
,
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
, since 1968
PulaPula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 ....
,
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
, since 1971 Fort Worth,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
.
WeimarWeimar is a city in Germany mostly known for its cultural heritage. It is located in the Bundesland of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
since 1990
Nagaokais a city located in the central part of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture, behind the capital city of Niigata...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, since 2006
Namesakes
New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, originally settled by people from Trier.
New Trier, MinnesotaNew Trier is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 116 at the 2000 census. Minnesota Highway 50 serves as a main route in the community.-History:...
, settled by people from Trier circa 1856.
External links