Trier and the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region

A trip to Trier will make you feel like you’ve been transported far back in time. As Germany’s oldest city, it began as a metropolis of the Roman Empire and enjoyed prosperous medieval and Renaissance eras as well. Today the city’s glorious history can be witnessed at every step on a stroll through the bustling Old Quarter. It’s also the starting point for forays into the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, including travel down the meandering Mosel River to its confluence with the Rhine.

Trier is considered the cradle of German wine culture, a tradition begun by the Romans when they established the still-active Mosel vineyards. There is a Wine Teaching Path that winds through Trier’s vineyard-dotted surrounds to the village of Olewig, where local vintners offer tours of their wineries and wine cellars, tastings and light food.

The Mosel River itself was key to the development of this culture of wine as the spine of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region. The river changes direction often as it flows northeast toward the Rhine that it meanders nearly 150 miles, twice the distance as the crow flies. Together with its two small tributaries, the Saar and the Ruwer, the Mosel composes one geographical entity.

Although each river's vineyard area produces a wine with its own distinctive personality, the three share a family resemblance: a fragrance reminiscent of spring blossoms, a pale color, light body and a refreshing, fruity acidity. To add to their charm, they often have the slightest hint of effervescence. Most display their finest charms in youth; the late- and selectively-harvested wines merit aging. Along the serpentine route of the Mosel, the river banks rise so sharply that the vineyards carpeting these slopes are among the steepest in the world, with some planted at an astounding 70-degree gradient. On these precipitous inclines, nearly all labor must be done by hand. That includes tying each vine to its own eight-foot wooden stake, and carrying up the slate soil that has washed down with the winter rains.

All this is possible now because of the initial efforts of those Romans so long ago. Beyond wine production, it turns out that they were also rather skilled at building monumental cities. Founded in 16 B.C. under Emperor Augustus, Trier expanded as an imperial residence and capital of the Western Roman Empire. To serve its emperors and a growing population, the Romans built a city of such unprecedented proportions that it was known as Roma Secunda. The ancient city’s most famous relic is the Porta Nigra, the beautifully-preserved fortified gate from the great age when the city was known as Augusta Treverorum. Today Trier contains the largest collection of ancient Roman buildings outside of Rome itself, all concentrated in a centralized and pedestrian-friendly area.

Visitors can gaze in wonder at the size and majesty of the Basilika, used in the early 4th century by Emperor Constantine as an audience hall and throne room, and housing the largest unsupported room of antiquity. They can explore the expansive ruins of the Imperial Baths, remodeled during the 4th century as a barracks for more than 1,000 soldiers. And in the Amphitheater, they can sit in the same terraced seats occupied by fans cheering for gladiator and animal fights some 2,000 years ago. Be sure to visit the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, an outstanding archaeological museum with Germany’s most extensive Roman collection.

While the stunning ancient architecture is the city’s strongest draw, travelers should also take in buildings like the baroque St. Paulin’s Church and the Church of our Lady, Germany’s oldest Gothic church. Behind the medieval façades of the Cathedral, architectural styles from the 4th through 18th centuries can be seen. Trier’s expansive Electoral Palace, built as a “wing” to the Basilika, is considered one of the finest examples of Rococo style in Germany, and its Baroque Palace Gardens are a peaceful green oasis in the middle of the city. Another popular attraction is the Karl Marx Haus birthplace and museum. Perhaps one of Trier’s most charming areas is its former Cathedral City, a mostly intact medieval district. A warren of narrow alleys runs between medieval houses in this former city-within-a-city.