Trier, Mosel, Germany
Trier is Germany’s oldest city, being founded in 16 BC during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus. It was one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy period in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries.
Trier has specular Roman ruins, notably Porta Nigra (the best-preserved city gate from the ancient world), the Amphitheatre and the famous Imperial Baths (see photos). The remarkable Roman bridge of Trier crosses the river Mosel (see photo).
The town’s history did not stop with Rome. The centre of Trier is replete with wonderful medieval buildings like St. Peter’s Cathedral – the oldest church in Germany – and the early-Gothic Church of Our Lady. Trier is known as Trèves in French.
Trier sits on the south bank of the Mosel river (Moselle in French), just across the southeast border of Luxembourg. The Mosel is a river that rises in France’s Vosges mountains and then flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to Germany. It joins the Rhine at Koblenz.
The Mosel has stunning landscapes of grape vines climbing up mountainous hillsides, as the river twists and turns its way between Trier and Koblenz. Many castle ruins sit on the hilltops above wine villages and towns along the slopes. Traben-Trarbach with its art nouveau architecture and Bernkastel-Kues with its traditional market square are two of the many tourist attractions on the Moselle river.
Ancient Rome played a pivotal role in the history of wine. The rise of the Roman Empire saw both technological advances in and burgeoning awareness of winemaking, which spread to all parts of the empire, including the Mosel. The Romans found that planting vines on the steep banks along the Mosel river provided enough warmth to ripen wine grapes.
The Roman belief that wine was a daily necessity made the drink “democratic” and ubiquitous. The worship of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, is attested by his image on frescoes and archaeological fragments throughout the region.
Vineyards are not in abundance near Trier. On a boat trip I spotted a small patch on the northern bank (see photo) and some others way up in the hills on the south bank. On a previous visit, I climbed up through the vineyards behind the railway station, which offer a wonderful panorama of Trier.
But for wine walkers and tourists, Trier is a must-see. Its Roman ruins are spectacular and Roman history very rich. And, today Trier is the beginning of the Mosel grape growing region, and a great starting point for discovering the region.
On the first leg of my train trip back to Paris (Trier to Luxembourg), I met a group of young Ukrainians who are now living in Germany (see photo). Unlike many dumb Westerners, they do not blame NATO, the US or other Western countries for the war in Ukraine. For them, the war is plain and simply, the war of the terrible Mr Putin!