Forum Baths (Viehmarktthermen)

World heritage punishes latecomers – and that’s something even the Forum Baths can vouch for. During the second half of the 1st century, the Romans commenced their construction project at a prime location, right by the Roman Forum, in the communal heart of the city. The Forum Baths are therefore also the city’s oldest bath complex – and they would have been all but guaranteed the status of being part of Trier’s World Heritage Site. The only thing was, it was too late: The UNESCO Commission had already named the ‘Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Truer’ a World Heritage Site in 1986 – and the Forum Baths were only discovered a year later, in 1987.

People had stumbled upon the ruins by accident while digging a pit for an underground car park. What they saw there proved to be so important that the location of the underground car park was moved, thereby saving at least part of the archaeological find, and a structure designed by German architect Oswald Mathias Ungers was built over them. He created a monumental glass building inspired by street paving that had also been designed by him, giving the impression that the paving at the site of the Forum Baths had somehow elevated itself and exposed the historic heritage. Today, the Forum Baths boast the most elaborate casing in the city – in the form of the ‘Ungers Building’. So they’re totally fine with the fact that they don’t bear the title of ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’. After all, true historic greatness can stand alone.

Discount Passes

Discover Germany's centre of antiquity conveniently and at reduced rates using the AntikenCard Trier. The discount pass (available in four different versions) offers admission to Trier's Roman buildings as well as other reductions around ancient Trier.