we always wanted to visit trier because its roman history interested us. and i kind of had high expectations that were not really fulfilled. don't get me wrong, while i really loved the medieval core of the city the rest didn't excite me as much. the roman remains just didn't knock me off my feet. i don't know why, but in the end everything was just ruins and you had to pay for those ruins in order to see them and learn more about them and it just felt so exclusive and not really worth the money... the only building i really liked out of all the roman architecture was the porta nigra, because you could get in touch with it.
i would have loved to enter the basilica, but it was closed for the whole day ( even though the notice told us that it would be open around 10 - well, it seems that they don't open in winter months ). we also wanted to take a look at the liebfrauenkirche, but we were too late because we spent too much time in the cathedral. well, sometimes you can't pack everything into one day. even though the day was bleak and cold and the city didn't really seem that friendly to us, it still owns some kind of charm that would maybe warrant another visit. maybe we just met trier on a wrong day. i'm sure it can be more inviting when warmer days arrive.
aula palatina ( konstantinsbasilika in german ). it's really so different from all the church architecture i've seen in my life yet. i was really eager to look at it from the inside, but alas, luck was not on our side.
the structure of this building really catches the eye. monumental is the right word for it, i suppose. even though it is not a big church at all compared to the cathedral of cologne or mainz.
one wing of the electoral palace of trier.
the palace is placed directly next to the basilica which makes for an interesting contrast.
another thing they say about the palace is that it's the most beautiful rococo buildings worldwide, and i think we can agree that the facade is already really luxurious. we weren't inside the palace as well, maybe another thing to revisit in the future!
this indian restaurant was housed in a beautiful art deco building and you know, i love discovering art deco related things very much :) it was so difficult to photograph, though.
details like these are what i love about architecture. especially the architecture from over 100 years ago, it is so playful and so rich of fantasy and symbols.
i rarely get to see a real synagogue, and to see a david's star instead of a typical cross on a building is even more uncommon. i think this sparked a little idea in my head - maybe i should try and find more church buildings that are not catholic or protestant, but instead jewish, muslim or buddhist! of course it's difficult to get a closer look at them when you don't belong to any of those religions - but finding the outer shells of those religions could be worthwhile, too. maybe that's a real thing i should consider for future photography projects. ( if i ever decide to tackle my huge list of projects, that is )
the very old and very ancient but still used roman bridge. it is standing here for almost 2000 years now, and i truly think that's a remarkable thing when it comes to a bridge.
first glimpse of the porta nigra.
the black colour derives from the industrial emissions over hundreds of years and war damages but also from withering. the stones that were used to build the gate is actually not black but a grey sandstone that wears off in a beautiful black colour shade.
can you imagine if you were be the porta nigra, how much change within almost 2000 years it must've witnessed?
full porta nigra with simeon's college in the backgound. in the dark ages there was a monk from greek who immured himself into a wall of the porta nigra and lived there as a hermit. when he died they build the college in his honour. i think they buried him on the ground floor first until they moved him into the monastery.
little embellisments.
inside the gate.
st. simeon's college courtyard.
the house of the three magi. i really think it's the epitome of medieval tower houses. the door on the right side was inititally the main entrance. you could only enter the house with the help of a ladder.
the main market with church st. gangolf in the back. trier is full of churches and this might be another reason to return to the city again. there is also a jewish quarter around there ( we didn't know it back then - but while i was researching for this post i got attentive of this fact ).
interesting roof.
the building with the prominent roof is called steipe and it functioned as a reception building.
the cathedral of trier and right next to it: liebfrauenkirche. all in all i had the sensation that the inhabitants of trier are very religious people - but it can also be the presence of at least a dozen of churches everywhere. trier is also the main location of the diocese trier.
the cathedral is a good example for romanesque architecture. i loved the clock with the moon and the sun and stars.
inside the cathedral death awaited us.
my photos really don't do the interior any justice, it was full of little chapels, epitaphs, altars and gravestones.
what i love about churches are their crypts and i'm always happy to enter them if they are open for the public. in this room there was a relic with real human bones in it, i didn't dare to photograph it, though. i also couldn't find out what kind of relic it was.
and another crypt room.
church door knobs.
church of our lady statue. and this was the last picture from our trier adventure.
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