Germany · Rhineland-Palatinate, Porta Nigra in Trier

Trier was founded in Roman times as Augusta Treverorum in the territory of the Celtic tribe of the Treverer. The city developed into an administrative and commercial centre. In Late Antiquity, it was at times the residence of Roman emperors and a political centre of the western part of the empire. From this period, in addition to the city gate, come the Kaiserthermen, the Barbarathermen, the Amphitheatre and the Konstantinbasilika.

The gate was built towards the end of the 2nd century from large sandstone blocks. The stones were placed on top of one another without mortar and were originally connected by iron clamps. Two passageways, multi-storey towers and an inner courtyard served to control traffic. The construction probably remained partly unfinished. Its present designation is of medieval origin and refers to the dark colouring of the sandstone; its Roman name has not been handed down.

The fact that the structure was preserved is connected with its conversion to other uses. In the 11th century, the hermit Simeon, who came from the eastern Mediterranean region, settled in it. After his death, the gate was converted into a double church dedicated to Saint Simeon. Among other features, apses, stairways and further ecclesiastical installations were added. On Napoleon’s orders, most of these additions were removed at the beginning of the 19th century in order to restore the Roman appearance. Traces of its medieval use are nevertheless recognisable.

Since 1986, the gate, together with further Roman monuments of Trier, the Dom and the Liebfrauenkirche, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It thus refers both to the Roman past of present-day Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and to the later treatment of ancient building fabric.

Since 2006, the German Federal States series has presented one state each year by means of a selected building. The order was generally based on the regular rotation of the presidency of the Bundesrat. For Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), a Roman structure in Trier was a suitable motif because it brings together the state’s long history of settlement and administration in a directly recognisable architectural monument.