Trier - Porta Nigra

At the north entrance to the old town of Trier stands the massive Porta Nigra, a fortified gate in the Roman town walls (end of second C.), whose age-blackened stones, held together by iron cramps, have earned it the name ("Black Gate") by which it has been known since the Middle Ages. It was converted into a church (St Simeon's) around 1040 and restored to its original state in 1804-17. In the adjoining Simeonstift (11th C.) is the Municipal Museum and close by the Kunsthandwerkerhof (craftsmen's workshops).