Trier

Trier
Clockwise from top: Trier skyline; Aula Palatina; Karl Marx House; Trier market place; Trier Cathedral and Liebfrauenkirche, Trier; and Porta Nigra
Flag of Trier
Coat of arms of Trier
Location of Trier
Map
Trier is located in Germany
Trier
Trier
Trier is located in Rhineland-Palatinate
Trier
Trier
Coordinates: 49°45′24″N 06°38′29″E / 49.75667°N 6.64139°E / 49.75667; 6.64139
CountryGermany
StateRhineland-Palatinate
DistrictUrban district
Founded16 BC
Government
 • Lord mayor (2023–31) Wolfram Leibe[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total117.06 km2 (45.20 sq mi)
Elevation
137 m (449 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total110,570
 • Density940/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
DemonymTrevian
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
54290–54296 (except 54291)
Dialling codes0651
Vehicle registrationTR
Websitewww.trier.de

Trier (/trɪər/ TREER,[3][4] German: [tʁiːɐ̯] ; Luxembourgish: Tréier [ˈtʀəɪɐ] ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves (/trɛv/ TREV, French: [tʁɛv][5][6]) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the west of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, near the border with Luxembourg and within the important Moselle wine region.

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.[7][8] 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.[9] 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. The archbishop-elector of Trier also had great significance as one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire. Because of its significance during the Roman and Holy Roman empires, several monuments and cathedrals within Trier are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[9]

With an approximate population of 110,000, Trier is the fourth-largest city in its state, after Mainz, Ludwigshafen, and Koblenz.[10] The nearest major cities are Luxembourg City (50 km or 31 mi to the southwest), Saarbrücken (80 kilometres or 50 miles southeast), and Koblenz (100 km or 62 mi northeast).

The University of Trier, the administration of the Trier-Saarburg district and the seat of the ADD (Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion), which until 1999 was the borough authority of Trier, and the Academy of European Law (ERA) are all based in Trier. It is one of the five "central places" of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Along with Luxembourg, Metz and Saarbrücken, fellow constituent members of the QuattroPole union of cities, it is central to the greater region encompassing Saar-Lor-Lux (Saarland, Lorraine and Luxembourg), Rhineland-Palatinate, and Wallonia.

  1. ^ Wolfram Leibe (SPD) bleibt Oberbürgermeister in Trier, SWR Aktuell, 25 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerungsstand 2021, Kreise, Gemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden" (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2022.
  3. ^ "Trier" (US) and "Trier". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
  4. ^ "Trier". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  5. ^ "Trèves" (US) and "Trèves". Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Trèves". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Rathaus der Stadt Trier. "Stadt Trier – City of Trier – La Ville de Trèves | Website of the Municipality of Trier". Archived from the original on 2002-08-08. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
  8. ^ An honor that is contested by Cologne, Kempten, and Worms.
  9. ^ a b "Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden am 31.12.2010" (PDF). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz (in German). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-31.