Sights in Rhineland Palatinate
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Konstantinbasilika
The brick Konstantinbasilika was constructed in AD 310 as Constantine's throne hall. Its dimensions (67m long and 36m high) are truly mind-blowing considering that it was built by the Romans. Later part of the residence of Trier's prince-electors, it is now a typically austere Protestant church.
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Dom
Mainz' famed cathedral, entered from the Marktplatz, is one of Germany's most magnificent houses of worship. The focal point of the Altstadt, this richly detailed 'mountain' of reddish sandstone, topped by an octagonal tower, went through a literal 'baptism by fire' when the original burned down just one day before its consecration in 1066. Most of what you see today is quintessential 12th-century Romanesque.
Inside, a solemn ambience pervades the nave which, surprisingly, has a choir at each end. The grandiose, wall-mounted memorial tombstones form a veritable portrait gallery of archbishops and other 13th- to 18th-century power mongers, many portrayed alongside their pr…
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Monastery
If you saw the 1986 film The Name of the Rose, starring Sean Connery, you've already seen parts of this one-time Cistercian monastery, in which many of the interior scenes were shot. Dating from as far back as the 12th century and once home to 150 or more monks and perhaps 400 lay brothers, this graceful complex - in an idyllic little valley - went through periods as a lunatic asylum, jail, sheep pen and accommodation for WWII refugees. Today visitors can explore the 13th- and 14th-century Kreuzgang (cloister), the monks' baroque refectory and their vaulted Gothic Monchdormitorium (dormitory), as well as the austere Romanesque Klosterkirche (basilica).
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Schloss Stolzenfels
With its crenellated towers, ornate gables and medieval-style fortifications, Schloss Stolzenfels, 5km south of the town centre above the Rhine's left bank, exudes the timeless, sentimental beauty for which the Romantic Rhine is famed. In 1823, the future Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV fell under its spell and had the castle - ruined by the French - rebuilt as his summer residence; during the Victorian era, guests included Queen Victoria. Today, the rooms remain largely as the king left them, with paintings, weapons, armour and furnishings from the mid-19th century.
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Landesmuseum Mainz
The rich and far-reaching collection of the Landesmuseum Mainz, housed in the former prince-elector's stables, traces the region's cultural history from the Stone Age to the present. Treasures include the richly festooned facade of the Kaufhaus am Brand, a 14th-century trading house, and the famous Jupitersäule (on display again in 2010), a Roman triumphal column from the 1st century. Also of special interest are Dutch and Flemish paintings, faience and art-nouveau glass.
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Dom St Martin cathedral
Mainz' famed cathedral, is one of Germany's most magnificent houses of worship. The focal point of the Altstadt, this richly detailed mountain of reddish sandstone, topped by an octagonal tower, went through a literal baptism by fire when the original burned down on the day of its consecration in 1009, an event whose millennium was marked in 2009. Much of what you see today is quintessential 12th-century Romanesque. Over the centuries seven coronations were held here.
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Porta Nigra
Top billing among Trier's Roman monuments goes to the Porta Nigra, a brooding 2nd-century city gate that's been blackened by time (hence the name, Latin for 'black gate'). A marvel of engineering and ingenuity, it's held together by nothing but gravity and iron rods. In the 11th century, Archbishop Poppo converted the structure into St Simeonkirche, a church named in honour of a Greek hermit who spent a stint holed up in its east tower.
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Druckladen
In the Gutenberg museum's Druckladen, across tiny Seilergasse, you can try out Gutenberg's technology yourself - on the condition that you're at least five years old. You'll be issued with a smock (the unique odour of printers' ink may, for many, conjure up the nobility of making the written word available to the masses, but the gloop is hell to get out of fabric) and instructed in the art of hand-setting type - backwards, of course.
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Burg Rheinfels
The sprawling ruins of Burg Rheinfels was once the mightiest fortress on the Rhine. Built in 1245 by Count Dieter V of Katzenelnbogen as a base for his toll-collecting operations, its size and labyrinthine layout are truly astonishing. Not only kids will love exploring the subterranean tunnels and galleries. To get there, you can walk for 20 minutes up the hill from the youth hostel or drive (parking fee required).
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Gutenberg Museum
A heady experience for anyone excited by books, the Gutenberg Museum takes a panoramic look at the technology that made the world as we know it - including this guidebook - possible. Highlights include medieval manuscripts and early printed masterpieces - kept safe in a vault - such as Gutenberg's original 42-line Bible. Many of the signs are in English; a quarter-hour film is available in seven languages.
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Dom- und Diözesanmuseum
Dom- und Diözesanmuseum displays artwork from the Dom St Martin cathedral, including sculptures from the rood screen (1239) - the work of the renowned Master of Naumburg - that portray the saved and the, well, not-so-saved. The new Oberer Kreuzgang (Upper Cloister) showcases religious art from the late Middle Ages.
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Ehrenbreitstein
On the right bank, looming above the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, this mighty fortress proved indestructible to all but Napoleonic troops in 1801. A few years later, the Prussians took this as a challenge to build one of Europe's strongest fortifications. Behind the mighty bulwarks is a hostel, two restaurants and the Landesmuseum.
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St-Stephan-Kirche
St-Stephan-Kirche is a Gothic church rebuilt after WWII were it not for the nine brilliant, stained-glass windows created by the Russian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) in the final years of his life. Bright blue and imbued with a mystical, meditative quality, they serve as a symbol of Jewish-Christian reconciliation.
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Stadtmuseum Simeonstift
Completely renovated in 2007, it brings alive two millennia of local history with carefully chosen objects, many of them exquisite. Highlights include the Trier Kino (Trier Cinema), where you can see 78 short films of Trier, some made as far back as 1904. Admission includes a free audioguide in German, English or French.
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Hauptmarkt
A farmers' market is still held daily (except Sunday) on the Hauptmarkt. Anchored by a festive fountain dedicated to St Peter and the Four Virtues, it's hemmed in by medieval and Renaissance architectural treasures such as the Rotes Haus (Red House) and the Steipe, a former banqueting hall that's now the home of the Spielzeugmuseum.
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Museum für Antike Schiffahrt
In 1981 excavations for a hotel unearthed the remains of five spectacular wooden ships of the Romans' Rhine flotilla, used around AD 300 to thwart Germanic tribes trying to intrude upon Roman settlements. They are now on display, along with two full-size replicas, in the Museum für Antike Schiffahrt.
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Parish Church
Medieval power woman Hildegard von Bingen's elaborate gold reliquary shrine, containing her heart, hair, tongue and skull, is prominently displayed inside the parish church, attracting pilgrims from around the world, especially on 17 September, the anniversary of her death.
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Barbarathermen
Diehard thermal bath devotees will appreciate the Barbarathermen, closed for renovations at the time of research. In the meantime you can look over the fence at the foundations, cellars and floor-heating system, all of which survived a 17th-century raid for stones to build a school.
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Burg Rheinstein
The picturesque Burg Rheinstein, in the 1820s became the first Rhine castle to be converted - by Prussian royalty - into a romantic summer residence. The working drawbridge and a portcullis evoke medieval times but the interior is mostly neo-Gothic.
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Kurfürstliches Palais
The Kurfürstliches Palais, a pink rococo confection entered from the south (garden) side, looks out over the lawns, pools and fountains of the formal Palastgarten (palace garden), perfect for sunbathing on warm summer days.
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Burg Reichenstein
Looming above the village of Trechtingshausen, the mighty Burg Reichenstein now harbours a museum with a prized collection of furnishings, armour, hunting trophies and even cast-iron oven slabs. Also has a restaurant and rooms for rent.
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Dom
A block east of the Hauptmarkt looms the fortresslike Dom, built above the palace of Constantine the Great's mother, Helena. The present structure is mostly Romanesque with some soaring Gothic and eye-popping baroque embellishments.
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Amphitheater
The Roman Amphitheater was once capable of holding 20,000 spectators during gladiator tournaments and animal fights - or when Constantine the Great crowned his battlefield victories by feeding his enemies to voracious animals.
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Rheinisches Landesmuseum
The Rheinisches Landesmuseum affords an extraordinary look at local Roman life. Highlights include a scale model of 4th-century Trier and rooms filled with tombstones, mosaics, rare gold coins and some fantastic glass.
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Augustinerkirche
The classically baroque Augustinerkirche, built in 1768, features an elaborate organ loft and a delicate ceiling fresco by Johann Baptist Enderle. Unlike so many churches in Germany, it has never been destroyed.
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