Just after Konz and the place where the rivers Sarre (Saar) and Mosel meet, a fascinating city - german with a french air, a rich span of architectural styles full of roman, medieval and classical treasures - that is Trier ( Trêves in french ) which majestically spans the Mosel.
A3 watercolour, on the Mosel Near Treves
50 km from Luxembourg City, and 100 km from my ultimate Mosel(le) destination - Koblenz - l take a couple of days pause with my family to visit. Not long enough !
Founded by the Romans in the late 1st century BC as Augusta Treverorum ("The City of Augustus among the Treveri"), Trier is considered Germany's oldest city. It is also the oldest seat of a bishop north of the Alps. Trier was one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy period in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. In the Middle Ages, the archbishop-elector of Trier was an important prince of the Church who controlled land from the French border to the Rhine.
An anecdote of its more modern history - Trier is the hometown of a certain Karl Marx.
Perhaps the most well-known, the Porta Nigra, which JMW Turner drew when passing through here ( he loved the city, we too ) and was an inevitable subject for me :
The view from the ramparts of the Porta Nigra towards the city centre and the cathedral ( the Dom ) early morning :
The Kaiserthermen
Red sandstone cliffs on the Mosel at Trèves ; the view from the hotel balcony
Trèves, dense with heritage but also relaxed and with much of the city centre pedestrianised, deserves at least a two-day visit. But l was happy to move further along the Mosel as l knew l would definitely visit again. Perhaps even in winter, Trier having one the best and largest christmas markets in the whole of Europe !
So downstream following the twists and turns of the Moseltal towards Traben-Trarbach, Zell and Cochem. As Turner once said, " There is a sketch at every turn ". And how true that proved to be ...
W. aug/sept 2024
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