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"Trier existed 1300 years before Rome," exclaims the inscription on one of the city's historic buildings. In fact, this is a piece of hyperbole: although
TRIER
is the oldest city in Germany, it was actually founded by the Romans themselves. Once the capital of the Western Empire, Trier was also an important early centre of Christianity. This helped give it political clout throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, its archbishop ranking as one of the seven Electors. Nowadays, Trier has the less exalted role of regional centre for the upper Mosel valley, its relaxed air a world away from the status it formerly held. Despite a turbulent history, an amazing amount of the city's past has been preserved: it presents a veritable encyclopedia of European architectural styles, with pride of place going to the most impressive group of
Roman monuments
north of the Alps. These alone would be enough to put Trier in the rank of "must-see" German cities, and it's one place in the Rhineland-Palatinate deserving an unqualified recommendation.
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