Trier Things to Do

Trier is such an important old city that Roman remains are turning up in Trier all the time. In the Viehmarkt (Cattle Market) is the latest addition, added only as recently as 1998, which shows off a third example of Roman baths in Trier. Until they were discovered in 1987, it was believed that there were only two. The new find is now protected under a shining glass building, which allows you to look down into the past. If you want to go inside, you can wander around, but be prepared to have faux Romans engage you in ye olde Roman pasttimes. Great for kids.

There are a number of old treadmill cranes along the Moselle riverbanks. Between the Romerbrucke and Kaiser-Wilhelm Brucke is the most famous of these: the Trierer Moselkrahn (Trier's Moselle Crane). This is the oldest of the old cranes and was built in 1412. Elsewhere you'll find the Baroque Alte Zollkran (Old Customs Crane) which was built later in 1776.

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Famous for the vinyards that stretch along the slopes of its valleys as it meanders through Germany, France and Luxembourg, the Moselle River moves at a languid pace through the city of Trier. It's a pleasant walk along its banks, and you can sample it with a short walk from Romerbrucke to Kaiser-Wilhelm Brucke. There you can admire the old cranes, dodge the bicycles, and wonder at the rough looking tatooed fishermen along its banks.

Being in such a famous wine region, you can obviously enjoy a drop of fine local wine while you are here.

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Possibly Trier's most famous son is Karl Marx, who was born at the eponymously named Karl-Marx Haus in 1818. Surviving confiscation by the Nazi party, it became a museum after the war. The exhibitions are a bit dry, covering his political theories and charting the course of world communism across history. It's apparently a big hit with Chinese visitors to Germany.

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The Baroque fountain of St. George is located in the Kornmarkt and is a popular place for people to rest up and people watch. The beautiful old building that the ornate fountain graces, is now home to the local post office.

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Trier is so easy to get around, you can't not enjoy it. Basically, all you have to do is find your way to the town center, and spiderweb your way around. You can see all the major points from the middle of town, so that helps also. I recommend starting with the Porta Nigra, and while you're there, check out the museum. Then wander over to The Dom cathedral. You can also check out the residence, the Roman baths, the gardens, just too many to list. The weather in Germany is unpredicatable at best, so always bring a rain-jacket that can be easily stowed.

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Trier's beautiful marketplace, the Hauptmarkt, is a focal point of the town and contains many of its finest old buildings, like the Gothic Steipe and the Renaissance Rotes Haus. The market place centers around the ornate Petrusbrunnen, and the pastel and half-timbered facades are watched over by the imposing spire of the St. Gangolf church.

Like a few other churches in towns across Germany, the St. Gangolf church was built by uppity local townsfolk as a means of usurping the power of the Church in the nearby cathedral. The church was built to be higher than the Cathedral, and the leaders of the Church in Trier were so annoyed they had one of the cathedral's tower extrended in order to put the townsfolk back in their place.

All roads in Trier lead to the Hauptmarkt, so it makes a great place to navigate from. Standing at the Petrusbrunnen fountain, you have the Portra Nigra to the north, the Cathedral to the east, the Kaiserthermen to the south, and the Mosel river to the west.

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Like much of Trier, the imposing fortress like Cathedral has its roots in Roman times. It was built in sections, rather than in one single construction, spanning nearly two millenia. Inside the central chapel is a room built of Roman brick under the direction of Saint Helen. The mother of Constantine I, she is also credited with founding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. So I've now visited all three of her major churches!