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...)