Time Travel / Germany, 1983 / Part 8 - Trier (4)

 Germany 1983 /Trier an der Mosel (4): Roman Bridge, the Barbara Baths, Karl Marx House, Baroque Church St Paulin - THE END.

On Tuesday 30th August (1983), I bought a bus pass to get around town to see some places I had not yet been to. 

According to the notes in my photo album, I started by taking the bus down to the riverside, to have a look at the harbour, and the oldest bridge in Germany: die Römerbrücke (the Roman Bridge) or Alte Moselbrücke (the Old Moselle Bridge).

The Roman Bridge (German: die Römerbrücke) is an ancient structure in Trier, Germany, over the river Mosel. It is the oldest standing bridge in the country, and the oldest Roman bridge north of the Alps. The nine bridge pillars date from the 2nd century AD, then replacing two older, wooden bridges that dated at least as far back as 17 BC. - In Roman times, tossing a coin off the bridge into the Moselle was an offering of good luck. Today, experts believe approximately one million coins could be lying hidden in the riverbed. - The upper part was renewed twice, in the early 12th and in the early 18th century, after suffering destruction in war. Along with other Roman and Early Gothic sites in Trier, the bridge was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986 because of its historical importance and architecture. (Wikipedia) 

Tourist bus pass for a day

 

After having seen the bridge, and some other old structures/buildings along the riverside, I went to visit die Barbarathermen - The Barbara Baths.

AI summary: Built in the second half of the 2nd century C.E., the Barbarathermen (Barbara Baths) in Trier was the largest Roman bath complex north of the Alps, covering over 42,000 square meters. Serving as a luxurious, well-appointed public leisure center, it remained in use until the 4th century before later being repurposed as a quarry and castle.  [The name seems to have been given to them later, referring to the district of town where they were buil, in turn named after St Barbara, an early Christian saint and martyr.]

 

 

 

Schwimmbad = swimming pool

 

Frigidarium = a cold room in an ancient Roman bath.

This photo had acquired such a weird colouring that I turned it b&w instead...

(AI:) Key Historical Aspects of the Barbara Baths:

    Purpose & Size: Built to accommodate a growing population, it was the second largest in the Roman Empire, featuring pools, heated rooms (hypocaustum), and marble decorations.
    Architecture: The baths were designed to accommodate a high volume of visitors, with a two-story hypocaust heating system and a structure typical of Northern African bath designs.
    Decline & Reuse: Following the decline of Roman power, the complex was used as a castle. By 1610, the ruins were heavily exploited as a quarry for building materials for a nearby Jesuit college.    

After having seen enough of the Barbara Baths (I did wander around there for quite a while, trying to imagine how it might all once have looked), I went to visit a building of later date:   

Karl Marx House - my photo from 1983

The Karl Marx House museum. This is where Karl Marx was born back in 1818 - the father of Marxism, who influenced both modern socialism and communism. It is now (and also back in 1983) a museum about Karl Marx's life and writings as well as the history of communism.  

Photo copied from Wikipedia

The house was built in 1727 as a two-story baroque building. Karl Marx was born there on 5 May 1818. In October 1819, the Marx family moved to a smaller building near the Porta Nigra. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) acquired the the house in 1928. After the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, the building was confiscated and turned into a printing house. After WWII, on 5th May 1947, the building was opened as a museum of the life and works of Karl Marx. - And on 14 March 1983*, 100 years after his death, the museum was re-opened after a year-long renovation that expanded it to three floors. 
(Main source: Wikipedia)

*I can't recall now if when I visited, I was aware that the museum had been so newly renovated and re-opened. I also don't remember details of the interior of the place, or  items exhibited. But as back then I was studying German at the university, I no doubt found it interesting from historical and academic point of view. 

On Wednesday 31st August, it was time for me to start my journey back to Sweden. According to my photo album, I managed to squeeze in one last tourist attraction before leaving town - a visit to the Baroque church St Paulin, built between 1734 and 1753. (The photos below are postcards.) 

 

The church was named after a saint, Paulinus of Trier, whose tomb is located in the church's crypt. He was a bishop of Trier before being exiled to Phrygia in 353. He died there five years later, but his remains were returned to Trier in 395. Before the present baroque church, there were two earlier church buildings in the same spot. (Wikipedia) 

My journey back home went without any problems (or at least none are recorded in my photo album). Train from Trier to Koblenz, then from Koblenz to Hamburg, and from there a night train back to Gothenburg. (And from there, either straight back to Karlstad, where I lived then - or possibly first a detour to visit my parents for a belated family birthday celebration - I'm not quite sure. My dad and I had the same birthday...) 

On the last page in my photo album there is this postcard:

Bright days - 
don't cry that they're over, 
but smile that they happened.

- - -

THE END 

Thanks for having joined me on my "time travel"! 

 

 

Time Travel / Germany, 1983 / Part 7 - Trier (3)

Germany 1983 /Trier an der Mosel (3): Porta Nigra, Stadtmuseum, Dreikönigenhaus, Basilika St. Matthias, a Market Square - and a boat trip on the river.

Monday, 29th August 1983 was my 28th birthday - and I was still in Trier, Germany, touristing on my own. Alas its seems that I used up my last slide film the day before, because the rest of my photos from the trip are faded printed ones in my photo album - mixed with a few postcard images that kept the coulour better. 

Porta Nigra, Trier (postcard)

I started my birthday touristing with having a closer look at the famous Porta Nigra (also mentioned in Part 5 of my time travel series).

I asked AI for a short summary today, rather than try to create it myself...

Porta Nigra - History and Facts 
Built around 170 AD, the Porta Nigra (Black Gate) in Trier is the largest and best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps. It served as a massive, northern, grey sandstone fortress gate, though it was never fully finished. It survived by being converted into a church in the 11th century to honor the hermit St. Simeon, which saved it from being quarried for building materials. Napoleon ordered the removal of church additions in 1804 to restore its Roman appearance. The site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. 

Above is a photo of my own from inside the Porta Nigra. The dove I seem to recall was actually a live bird sitting on that gate! Weirdly fadad colouring - but I arrived at preferring the purple to turning it black-and-white or sepia...

 

My own photo - I think  a view taken from inside the Porta Nigra.

 

Nearby was the Stadtmuseum Simeonstift Trier, showing art and cultural treasures from the Middle ages and onward. The photos above are my own, but the info below I copied from the museum's current website: 

The collection is housed in the Roman building of the Collegiate of St. Simeon, which originates from the 11th century and is directly adjacent to the Porta Nigra. Also worthy of note is the building itself, which boasts one of the oldest and rarely preserved two-storey cloisters. 

 

 

 Nearby is also a building known as the Dreikönigenhaus (the House of the Three Kings). Please note the door halfway up the wall, without any stairs leading to it... The image copied from the German Wikipedia article, while AI gave me the following summary in English: 

Built around 1230 in Trier, Germany, the Dreikönigenhaus (House of the Three Magi) is a rare, fortified early Gothic residential tower on Simeonstrasse. *Originally designed for security, it lacked ground-floor access, requiring residents to use a retractable ladder to enter on the first floor.* Today, the building is known for its brightly painted, colorful facade with pointed arches and is now used as a café. 

My own photo

AI summary: St. Matthias Abbey in Trier is a historic Benedictine monastery and pilgrimage site renowned as the only abbey north of the Alps holding an apostle's grave. Founded on Roman cemetery grounds, the current Romanesque basilica was built in the 12th century after the 1127 discovery of Saint Matthias the Apostle's relics.

According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Matthias was the disciple chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles following Judas's betrayal of Jesus. He was a follower of Jesus from his baptism until the Ascension,, and was chosen for his firsthand witness to the Resurrection.

My own photo from inside the St Matthias Abbey - alas another one church interior having turned very red/purple with age. (And no, I don't know what those things/decorations in the foreground are...)

 

Postcard, Trier

I also spent part of that day shopping - after all, it was also my birthday! ;) According to a receipt glued into my album, I made some purchases in a bookshop (I no longer remember what!), and I also remember buying grapes in a market square. If it was in the same square as on the postcard, I dare not say, though!

 

And in the afternoon, I went on a little boat trip on the river Mosel, to a part of town named Pfalzel and back again. 
 

My own photo from Pfalzel

I don't really remember Pfalzel now; but on request, AI comes to my help again: 

Pfalzel is a historic district of Trier, Germany, located on the Moselle River, known for its origins as a 4th-century Roman "little palace" (palatiolum). It features Germany’s oldest inhabited Roman stone house, medieval fortifications, and a former collegiate church. Today, it is a quiet, scenic village perfect for wine tasting, cycling, and exploring Roman and Baroque history, often acting as a peaceful retreat near the busy city of Trier. 

Linking this post to Sepia Saturday 820 

Time Travel / Germany, 1983 / Part 6 - Trier (2)

Germany 1983 /Trier an der Mosel (2): Kurfürstliches Palais, Kaiserthermen, Landesmuseum, Amphitheater, Cathedral - and a Flower Show.

Sunday, 28th August, 1983: My first full day in Trier was a very full day. Looking back in my photo album now I can't really grasp that after first having attended the church service in the Basilica (previous post), I afterwards also managed to see all of the sights below on the same day. (Somewhere in between, I suppose I must also have had lunch. No note in my album to remind me exactly where, when or what, though!)

Das Kurfürstliche Palais, with the Konstantin Basilika in the background

Das Kurfürstliche Palais - in English, the Electoral Palace - is situated very close indeed to the Basilica. From the 16th century until the late 18th century, this palace was the residence of the Archbishops and Electors of Trier. (According to Wikipedia, nowadays most of the palace is used as governmental offices; but classical music concerts are sometimes also held there.) I can't recall going inside - I probably just snapped the photo in passing. 

After the Basilica, I went to see the ruins of the Kaiserthermen - the remains of a large Roman bath complex. (Very close the Basilica and the Palace - you can see those buildings in the background in the first photo below.) 

The construction was started around 300 C.E. and was meant to be one of the largest of its kind, with baths built around hot water pools, and underneath the complex a network of underground passageways and a sewer system. It was never completed, though, and during the Middle Ages, it was converted into a castle.

 

I also visited the Landesmuseum - an archaeological museum with a collection of objects from prehistory to the Baroque era, but with a strong emphasis on the Roman period.

And from there on to the Trier Amphitheater:
 

Trier and its amphitheatre resembled many Roman cities of its time, and many  gladiatorial contests occurred there. It is the 10th largest Roman amphitheatre still intact. The structure which was dug into the side of a hill around the 2nd century A.D. could accommodate approximately 20,000 spectators. When later on gladiatoral contests were forbidden by the Christian emperor, the amphitheatre was incorporated into the city wall. 

Trier Dom - Postcard

 Furthermore, I visited the Trier Dom (Cathedral) - the oldest cathedral in Germany and the largest religious structure in Trier.  Below: One of my bought slides that turned all red over the years, showing the inside of the Dom.

Trier, Dom, Mittelschiff, von West nach Ost

 And as if all of the above wasn't enough for one day of touristing, in the afternoon I also managed to attend part of a local flower show that happened to be going on in Trier that weekend...

 

 

Except for the Dom, all the other photos in this post are my own (slides).

 

Time Travel / Germany 1983 / Part 5: Trier an der Mosel (1)

Germany 1983, Trier an der Mosel (1): 
Porta Nigra and The Basilica of Constantine

On Saturday 27th August, 1983, I left Obernhof an der Lahn (see previous posts in this series - you'll find them in my sidebar under the month of March 2026) and took the train to Koblenz am Rhein, and then from there another train to Trier an der Mosel. 

I probably had a couple of hours or so in Koblenz between trains - enough for lunch, I presume, and (evidently) a short stroll along the river:

My own photo from Koblenz

Postcard from my photo album

In Trier, I had booked a room at a hotel close to the railway station:

I have no photos from the hotel room, but I seem to remember it: A tiny room with pretty much just a bed, and not even a door to the toilet/shower (perhaps a curtain? but not even sure about that...). But all I needed, really, as in the daytime, I was out and about touristing anyway... The location as such served me well enough, though. 

Evening view from my hotel room (I think)

On the very first afternoon/evening, I ended up having something to eat at a café near the famous Porta Nigra, while listening to a live concert - a very pleasant start to getting acquainted with the town!

Photo from a postcard or brochure

Porta Nigra (The Black Gate) is a monumental old gateway which in 1986 it got listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for being the best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps. But my visit was in 1983, so that had not happened yet when I was there!

The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. 

My own photo copied from my photo album.

The next day was a Sunday, and I decided to start that day with attending a service in the Konstantin Basilika, built between AD 300 and 310 /during the reigns of Constantius Chlorus and Constantine the Great). This too is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek basilike) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. 

A number of monumental Christian basilicas were constructed during the latter reign of Constantine the Great - Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. 

During the Middle Ages, the basilica in Trier was used as the residence for the Bishop of Trier. In 1856, it became a Protestant church. In 1944, the building burned due to an air raid of the allied forces during World War II. When it was repaired after the war, the historical inner decorations from the 19th century were not reconstructed, so that the brick walls are visible from the inside as well. 
 

Basilica of Constantine - photo from Wikipedia (2013) 

Above is a slide photo I bought of the interior of the Basilika, which seems to have kept its original colours rather well.

Attending a regular evangelical Sunday church service (in German) in this huge space was a rather special experience. Knowing that I had three days all on my own in Trier ahead of me was rather daunting in itself, and I have to admit I felt a little bit "lost and lonely" (even if excited at the same time). But then something happened, which to me felt like a "greeting from home" ... I have long since forgotten what the sermon was really about, but at some point in his message, the priest (or whatever his clerical title may have been) suddenly quoted or referred to a story (from outside the Bible) which seemed strangely familiar to me. By now I have forgotten both the specific content of the story, and the point that it served in the sermon. But it was taken from a children's book by the world famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren: In German, Wir Kinder aus Bullerbü - in English, The Children of Noisy Village. And for me, this served as a sort of emotional confirmation that yes - I was in the right place, right here and now, for these few days... On my own, but not necessarily "lonely".

(To be continued...)
 

1st April / April Fools' Day

 

My calendar photo for the month of April - from 11th April, 2025. 

Caroli Church (Caroli kyrka) in Borås is a parish church belonging to the Church of Sweden, and the oldest preserved building in our city, dated from the 13th-century. It was rebuilt and repaired after fires in 1681 (when the tower was also added), 1727 and 1822; and went through some further renovations in 1914-1915 and 1938-1940. If I go to a church service during the major holidays like Christmas and Easter, this is usually where I go. 

1st April today, and "April Fools' Day" - which I understand is quite an international tradition. For me it's been Laundry Day, meaning I have not been out; and as far as I know, I don't think I've come across any fake news - although I kind of wished that one of the things announced on national TV this evening would turn out to be... (It's election year, and political parties are as usual conspiring to try and make new deals to convince voters that they'll be able to form a "stable " government...)

 

The probably most famous April Fools' joke from Swedish television goes way back to 1962, when they claimed that if you pulled a nylon stocking over your black and white TV, you'd be able to watch colour TV! And it's said that some people actually tried... (I remember it, but I don't think my parents fell for it!) 

 

  

The actual introduction of official, regular colour TV in Sweden started on 1 april 1970. No joke this time, but only six hours per week to begin with!

 

The first time I watched colour TV was at my maternal grandfather's house when there was an ice hockey world championship going on - I think it must have been 1971. I was not really all that impressed, because when the players were skating fast over the ice, they kind of left the colours of their costumes behind them on the screen!