TRIER, or TREVES, a very ancient city of Germany, the Augusta Treverorum of the Romans, who made it their head-quarters against the Germans, and the residence of some of their monarchs. Under the kings of the Franks it was afterwards a city of great consequence. It was subsequently the chief residence of the prince archbishop, an independent member of the German empire. It was seized by the French at the beginning of the Revolution, and by the peace of Luneville in 1801 was ceded to France. In
1824 it was occupied by the allied armies, and by the treaty of Vienna was eventually ceded to Prussia. It is now the capital of a district or circle of its name in the Prussian province of the Lower Rhine, which extends over 2786 square miles, and in 1834 contained 437,324 inhabitants, of whom 50,000 are Protestants, and all the rest of the Roman church. The city is situated in a pleasing valley on the river Moselle, which is here navigable for barges of 100 tons. It is the seat of a bishop and of the provincial courts of law, and has an ecclesiastical seminary. Within the city are many large gardens, which give it the appearance of a Swiss town, and add greatly to its beauty. The inhabitants amounted in 1834 to 14,723. Among the buildings are many curious specimens of very ancient architecture. The palace of the prince bishop, now the barracks, is one of them; and another is the church of the Virgin, in the peculiar old German taste. The cathedral is of a very irregular form, but contains some beautiful altars, and a fine gallery of marble. The church of St Simon is of Roman architecture. Though a church, it is also a gate, the Porta Nigra, the most remarkable specimen of architecture in Germany. Other Roman antiquities are, an amphitheatre in ruins, some baths, and several gates of antique edifices. Few places afford more delight to the lovers of antiquities.