The city of Trier makes a heck of an entrance.
In our case, we got off the bus, walked about a block, and looked up to see Porta Nigra. That's Latin for "black gate," and it's one of the most impressive man-made sites around as these things go.
The Romans built this around the year 170 A.D. It was never quite finished, but it was still used while the Romans were in control of the region. There were four of them; this is the one that survives. It's the largest Roman gate north of the Alps, if you like statistics.
The building took a few hits over the years, as parts were taken for other purposes. It looked as if Porta Nigra was headed for the scrapheap of history. But the hermit Simeon moved in to the place sometime in the 11th century. After he died, Bishop Poppo turned it into a church - thus preserving it indefinitely.
Napoleon arrived in the early 1800s, took over ownership in a sense, and ordered its restoration. The Prussians/Germans eventually got the title back in the 19th century. Happily, it hasn't changed much since then. The big-city pollution in the neighborhood has taken a toll, of course, but with a little help it might just last a few more centuries.
You can pay a relatively small admission charge and take a walk around all four floors of the building. It's rather moving to think about all the history that the building has seen over the years. Or, you can watch a video from home and save on the trip to Germany.
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