Trier — the birthplace of Karl Marx and me
Founded by the Roman Emperor Augustus
I was born in 1965 in Trier, a city located in the west of Germany not far from the border with Luxembourg as well as Belgium and France. The city lies on the Moselle River and currently has about 111,000 inhabitants. Trier is known for its Roman past, Moselle wine, and Karl Marx. But one after the other.
The Romans in Trier
According to legend, Trier was founded 1,300 years before Rome. According to this, the city would have been founded about 2,000 before Christ. The Celtic tribe of the Treverians lived in the area.
As the Romans expanded their empire northward, they also came to what is now France and Germany. To consolidate their rule, they built both military camps and cities. In 16 BC, the Roman Emperor Augustus (father of Caesar) founded the city of Augusta Treverorum, today’s Trier.
In the next 300 to 400 years Trier gained great importance in the Roman Empire and became a provincial capital so that at times the Roman emperors resided in Trier. Because such rulers also always demonstrated their power through monumental…
