Raven Guides: Germany - Trier

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M-Su 13.00, €6/5, children 6-14 €3) starts at the Porta Nigra and passes key sights including the Dom and the Konstantin-Basilika. Cruises Moselle round trips, half-day or day cruises are operated by Personenschiff Gebrüder Kolb (tel 0651-26666, www.moselrundfahrten.de) of Georg-Schmitt Platz 2. One or two-hour scenic cruises (May-Oct, €10 or €14) leave Zurlaubener Ufer on the city bank of the river north of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke several times daily. Day return trips downstream to Bernkastel on the Moselle wine route (four hours 15 minutes each way, €30) allow almost two hours in Bernkastel. There is also an offering of Saturday evening music cruises and voyages further downstream connecting Bernkastel, Cochem and Koblenz. Views Near the Mariensäule site off Auf der Jüngt on the 300m Markusberg is a lookout above the west bank of the Moselle. Take bus 10 to Auf der Jüngt or Mariensäule. The Petrisberg to the east of the Altstadt offers a closer view of the cathedral area (take bus 4 to Petrisberg Aussicht). A good view of the Altstadt is available from the top gallery of the Porta Nigra (see the Porta Nigra entry above). Parks & gardens The Palastgarten south of Kurfürstliches Palais was never completed and what was required refurbishment after World War II. But it is the most congenial of the green spaces around the Altstadt. Take bus 2, 10, 30, 33 or 87 to Konstantin-Basilika. Nells Park, about 2km north-east of the city centre between Parkstraße and Metternichstraße, is an English garden layout with lake. Take bus 1 or 30 to Nells Park. Long walks are possible on the strip of the Moselle east bank, the most interesting sections being between the Römerbrücke and the historic homes of Zurlaubener Ufer to the north of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke. Markets The market stalls of Hauptmarkt (M-F 7-18.30, Sa 7-13) have fresh food and snacks and there are Tuesday and Friday farmers’ markets at Viehmarktplatz (Apr-Sep 7-14, Oct-Mar 8-14). Events The Altstadtfest weekend at the end of June fills the main squares with live stage performances. The Advent-Christmas markets of Trierer Weihnachtsmarkt (M-W 10.30-20.30, Th-Sa 10.30-21.30, Su 11-20.30) begin the last week of November at Hauptmarkt and Domfreihof and run until a few days before Christmas. Performance The annual Mosel Musikfestival is a series of regional events from July to December including concerts in Trier’s historic buildings such as the Großer Saal and courtyard in the Kurfürstliches Palais, the Dom St Peter, Liebfrauen-Basilika, Konstantin-Basilika and the church of St Paulin. The calendar and details are posted at www.moselmusikfestival .de. The Kurfürstliches Palais, built on the palace site of Roman rulers, was an electoral residence until 1794. The early 17th century north and east wings designed by Georg Ridinger shaped the Renaissance courtyard, the south wing (1761) being updated to Rococo by Johannes Seiz. This faces the Palastgarten and has an opulent staircase with sculptures by Ferdinand Tietz, who also crafted the original garden statues (now copied). When the archbishops moved their administration to Koblenz for good, French troops occupied the palace, which later was similarly used by the Prussians. The palace, restored after World War II damage, is still used for administration and interior viewing opportunities are few, but the Großer Saal is used for concerts. Take bus 2, 10, 30, 33 or 87 to Konstantin-Basilika. The Konstantin-Basilika (Apr-Oct M-Sa 10-18, Su 12-18, Nov-Mar Tu-Sa 11-12, 15-16, Su 12-13, entry free) at Konstantinplatz is the largest (67m by 27m) surviving single-chamber structure of the Roman period, built about 310. It was the hall (aula palatina) where emperors received visitors in state. It was used as a castle by Frankish counts and as a palace by the medieval Trier archbishops before being partly torn down early in the 17th century during the remodelling of the Kurfürstliches Palais. In its 1850s rebuilt form it was used for Evangelical church services, which with occasional concerts today restrict visitor access. The archaeology of other Roman structures shows in paving to the south and west. Take bus 2, 10, 30, 33 or 87 to Konstantin-Basilika. The Roter Turm (1647) at Konstantinplatz was built as an archive and chancellery, the last component of the Renaissance electoral palace complex to be completed. The tower was designed by Matthias Staudt. With the wall and the Petersburg-Portal to the south it was part of a structure enclosing a second palace courtyard to the north of the present Kurfürstliches Palais. A storey was added to the tower in 1830. After post-war restoration it is the bell tower for the Kirche zum Erlöser in the Konstantin-Basilika. Take bus 2, 10, 30, 33 or 87 to Konstantin-Basilika. The Kaiserthermen bath complex (Apr-Sep M-Su 9-18, Mar & Oct M-Su 9-17, Nov-Feb M-Su 9-16, €3/2.10, visitors under 17 €1.50, families €6) south of the present Palastgarten was an unrealised project under Constantius Chlorus and left unfinished by his son Constantine, probably when the emperor left for eastern campaigns in 316. Before work was abandoned the caldarium at the east end reached about 20m. Today the engineering can be fully explored above ground from a raised platform and below through the tunnels. The emperor Valentinian I had the site adapted as barracks for about 500 mounted guards later in the 4th century. The site was adapted again in the 12th century when incorporated as the south-east bastion of a town wall. Take bus 2, 6, 7, 10, 16 or 30 to Kaiserthermen. The stands of the Roman amphitheatre (Apr-Sep M-Su 9-18, Mar & Oct M-Su 9-17, Nov-Feb M-Su 9-16, €3/2.10, visitors under 17 €1.50, families €6) on Olewiger Straße could have seated 20,000 spectators late in the 2nd century. Here two Frankish kings taken prisoner were fed to beasts at the orders of Constantine. Underground holding chambers for staging gladiatorial combats and executions can be inspected, but care must be taken in many parts because of often-present groundwater. Much of the superstructure has disappeared but the masonry of vomitoria (exits) is intact. The stadium’s east embankment formed part of the Roman city wall and the south entrance was a city gate. Take bus 6, 7, 10, 16 or 30 to Amphitheater. RAVEN TRAVEL GUIDES GERMANY - Trier 5
The Dommusik Trier program (www. dommusik-trier.de) stages choral, organ and ensemble concerts in the Dom St Peter throughout the year, including free Saturday concerts during Advent. The online ticket portal under the Events menu at the Tourist Information Trier website has a full program of regional concerts and other live shows with ticket sales links. Food There is indoor and outdoor service at Zum Christophel (tel 0651-9794200) at Simeonstraße 1 beside the Porta Nigra with an offering of house specialities between €10 and €20 and set menus up to €30, along with a wine selection. Zum Domstein (M-Su 8.30-24, tel 0651- 74490) at Hauptmarkt 5 offers the German restaurant feel with the standards at €14-20 per course (children’s meals available). Meet & drink The pubs and cafes of the narrow Judengasse through the archway off Hauptmarkt are favourite spots and there is plenty of outdoor service on Hauptmarkt and Simeonstraße in summer. A village feel is a feature of Zurlauben north of the Altstadt, with a river aspect along Zurlaubener Ufer ideal for outdoor enjoyment. Accommodation To survey and book accommodation, including private rooms, visit the tourist website www.trier-info.de and use the Accommodation menu. Budget rooms can also be searched online at www.deutsche-pensionen.de/ pension-trier. Trier has a hotel tax of €1.07 per person, generally included in listed prices. Hotel Vinum (tel 0651-994740, ekkt. ekir.de/trier/1451.0.html) is opposite the Hauptbahnhof at Bahnhofsplatz 7 with singles/doubles/triples from €56/87/107 in high season, €51/82/102 low season including breakfast, full facilities and WLAN to rooms. The hotel is non-smoking and allergy-free rooms are available. The medium-sized three-star Hotel Casa Chiara (tel 0651-270730, www.casa-chiara .de) is only 200m from the Porta Nigra but in a quiet street at Engelstraße 8 with high-season singles/doubles/triples from €65/95/150 (this is cheaper Sundays), low season €55/75/140. Parking is available. Take buses 2, 3, 4, 12 or 13 to Porta Nigra. The small family-run Hotel Pieper (tel 0651-23008, www.hotel-pieper-trier.de) is 300m north of the city centre at Thebäerstraße 39 with a restaurant downstairs and singles/ doubles/triples including breakfast at €55/ 85/120. The walk is 400m north-west from the Hauptbahnhof via Moltkestraße from the north end of the Bahnhofsplatz. Hotel Deutschherrenhof (tel 0651- 97542, www.hotel-deutschherrenhof-trier .de) is two minutes’ walk from the city centre at Deutschherrenstraße 32, offering singles/doubles with breakfast from €55/75 in high season, €50/55 low season, family rooms from €130 and €110. WLAN access is free but parking is extra. Take bus 2 to Deutschherrenstraße. Hotel Garni Grund (tel 0651-25939), only 150m from Porta Nigra at Paulinstraße 7, offers singles/doubles/triples with breakfast and full facilities from €40/70/96. Secure The Baroque facade of the Karl-Marx-Haus (1727) at Brückenstraße 10, birthplace of the founder of socialism, had to be restored in the 1930s after intervening changes. The rear parts of the building date from the 19th century but there is also an arcaded gallery overlooking the inner courtyard, a feature of a moderately affluent middle-class town house, although the interiors are not preserved. The building is also the museum of the political economist’s life and ideas – as well as the critical contribution of his collaborator Friedrich Engels – and explores aspects of his legacy (see Museums). Take bus 2, 6, 7, 13, 15, 40 to Karl-Marx-Haus. The Römerbrücke (c150) over the Moselle is Germany’s oldest bridge and the oldest of Roman bridges north of the Alps. In the Roman period it led to the Porta Inclyta, the west city gate. It displays the remains of three separate building stages: the basalt footings are largely intact but the original roadway was wooden and the stone arches go back to the 14th century. These had to be rebuilt early in the 18th century after a 1689 assault by the French army. At this stage the St Nicholas statue and crucifix were added but the bridge towers were torn down in the 19th century. The statue of Constantine on the east bank is Baroque. Take bus 1, 4 or 10 to Römerbrücke. Today fenced off but revealed by 19th century archaeological excavations, foundations and underground systems of the two Barbarathermen 2nd century baths are visible near the corner of Friedrich-Wilhelm-Straße and Südallee. What is exposed today includes tunnels, canals and furnaces and some decoration and finds are preserved in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum (see Museums). The complex, which originally measured almost 250m by 180m, was used until the 5th century but surviving buildings served as a castle in medieval times and thereafter much of the remains was reused for building. Take bus 1, 10 or 40 to Barbarathermen. The Mariensäule (1866) stands on the cliffs of the Markusberg above the wooded east bank of the Moselle. The Catholic citizens of Trier raised it in celebration of the Immaculate Conception, asserted in a papal bull of 1854, largely in defiance of the rule of Protestant Prussia and perhaps spurred by the recent remaking of the Konstantin-Basilika as an Evangelical church. The statue of Mary, designed by Gottfried Renn on a Neogothic pillar partly of recycled Roman sandstone, reaches 40m from the highest point in the area. The site, reached by a pathway off Auf der Jüngt, is in an area that offers the best lookout over the city and Moselle valley. Take bus 10 to Auf der Jüngt or Mariensäule. Two cranes on the Moselle east bank are monuments to the ancient river traffic. The stone Gothic Krahnen (or Alter Kran, 1413) near the end of Krahnenstraße is one of Germany’s oldest. Some of its machinery including a treadmill wheel is just visible inside. The boom is of oak. The Roman harbour was probably in this area as wharf storehouses (horrea) were on the site of the former convent St Irminen. To the south is the Zollkran (1774), which stayed in use until almost World War I. Take bus 1, 4 or 10 to Römerbrücke. Trier 6 - RAVEN TRAVEL GUIDES GERMANY
Page 1 and 2: Liebfrauen-Basilika Trier
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Page 5: The ZOB is outside the Hauptbahnhof

Raven Guides: Germany - Trier

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