Survivors

After the second day of the course we gathered at the Porta Nigra [see extra] where an exuberant (but ultimately tiresome) middle-aged guide showed us round the sights of the city centre. The most impressive thing was the Aula Palatina [pictured] which was started in the fourth century and was the ceremonial throne hall of the local Roman Emperor. Although the whole of the wall and apse pictured above remained intact, the other long wall was rebuilt in the 19th Century so it merges incongruously with the Kurfürstliches Palais [see extra]. However it is still impressive that so much has remained from Roman times. Having walls 3m thick undoubtedly helps! The tour ended back at the Porta Nigra, the only one of the four Roman city gates which remains. It survived because it was incorporated into a mediæval church, and then saved when Napoleon was told it was a Gaulish festival hall! The other great architectural survivor in Trier is an overground "bunker tower" built during the war which was too difficult to demolish so stands as a stark reminder of the times.