Porta Nigra

- Porta-Nigra-Platz, Simeonstrasse, Simeonstift monastery

Porta Nigra (Black Gate), an impressive large dark gate built by the Romans as main gate throught the city wall. This is the gate to Trier's Old Town and Simeonstrasse. Trier was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire in the 4th century. During this period the gte was built. It is the largest Roman city gate North of the Alps. the Simeonstift monastery, connected to the building, was built in the 1000s to honour the Greek monk Simeon, who lived in Porta Nigra and prevented it from being destructed. It was converted into a church during Simeon's period with church towers and so on, but in 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte transformed it back to it's original form. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.