Behind Porta Nigra
The Porta Nigra is one of the most well known Roman monuments here in the German city of Trier. Back then, Trier was an important town is it is the seat of the one of the electors for the Holy Roman Empire. It is not surprising to see how many Roman monuments were built in this city. I myself wouldn’t have imagined that there would be an old Roman city here in Germany. It only shows you how vast the Roman empire was back then. The Porta Nigra is last remaining of the original four city gates. It has gone through a transformation into a church in a bid to save the structure and then back to a city gate like before.
Inside Porta Nigra
These days, the Porta Nigra still serves as the city gate for the north end of the city center. I think the gates are wide enough to let modern vehicles through but it seems to be only for pedestrians these days. I can’t get enough of how the Porta Nigra looks since it doesn’t look like those city gates that I would have seen in France. The design of the gates is distinctly ancient Roman and it is a marvel that it still stands. Because of it’s significance, the Porta Nigra was included in the UNESCO World Heritage site listing named Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier. As the name implies, there are several here in Trier and I hope I have time to visit them all.
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