The Romans founded Trier in 16 B.C. By the end of the 3rd Century the city was an Imperial Residence and capital of the West-Roman Empire. Six emperors held court here, and as early as the 4th century Trier had a population of 80,000.

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. 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. Quite justifiably, the city been declared a treasure of world civilization by UNESCO, bringing its architectural history worldwide acclaim.

In addition, 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.