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