TRIER
History

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One of the oldest cities in Germany, Trier has played an important role in its history since Roman times and retains many Roman monuments. Founded by Augustus c.15 B.C., the city was made (1st cent.) the capital of the Roman province of Belgica and later became (3d cent.) the capital of the prefecture of Gaul; it was named after the Treveri, a people of  Gaul. Under the Roman Empire Trier attained a population of c.50,000 and became a major commercial center, with a large wine trade. It was a frequent residence of the Western emperors from c.295 until its capture (early 5th cent.) by the Franks.

The city was made an episcopal seat in the 4th cent. and an archiepiscopal seat around 815. In the 12th century the Archbishops of Trier became Prince Electors. They made Trier the capital of their electorate, which experienced periods of great prosperity and despairing decline up until its dissolution at the end of the 18th century. Today the city's glorious history is still to be witnessed at every step on a stroll through the bustling Old Quarter.

Under the rule of the archbishops, Trier flourished as a commercial and cultural center. Trier was the seat of a university from 1473 until it was occupied by the French in 1797. The archbishopric of Trier was secularized and was formally ceded to France in 1801 by the Treaty of Lunéville. At the Congress of Vienna the city and most of the archbishopric were awarded (1815) to Prussia; territory E of the Rhine was given to Nassau and, with Nassau, passed to Prussia in 1866. Trier again became an episcopal see in 1821. It was occupied by France after World War I and suffered considerable damage in World War II.

The face of Trier is impressively shaped by the Roman era. Most famous relic is the Porta Nigra, the beautifully-preserved fortified gate from the great age when the city was known as "Augusta Treverorum". But all the other major stylistic epochs have also left behind their monuments here. Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo enriched the city with churches and abbeys, a university, stately homes of the nobility and the Electoral Palace with gardens.

Not for nothing has the city been declared a treasure of world civilization by UNESCO, bringing its architectural history worldwide acclaim. Additionally, Trier is Germany's oldest wine-growing center. Famous vineyard estates and celebrated wine producers are headquartered here. So it also pays to become acquainted with the subterranean realm of the Trier sommeliers!
Trier is an old town, but hardly an antiquated one. As district capital and transportation hub of a highly developed region, the metropolis on the Mosel is an important business and shopping center, in which cultural life thrives with theater, opera, concerts and museums
 Augusta Treverorum". But all the other major stylistic epochs have also left behind their monuments here. Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo enriched the city with churches and abbeys, a university, stately homes of the nobility and the Electoral Palace with gardens.

Not for nothing has the city been declared a treasure of world civilization by UNESCO, bringing its architectural history worldwide acclaim. Additionally, Trier is Germany's oldest wine-growing center. Famous vineyard estates and celebrated wine producers are headquartered here. So it also pays to become acquainted with the subterranean realm of the Trier sommeliers!
Trier is an old town, but hardly an antiquated one. As district capital and transportation hub of a highly developed region, the metropolis on the Mosel is an important business and shopping center, in which cultural life thrives with theater, opera, concerts and museums
 

( Information courtesy : Historic highlights of Germany.)