Viehmarkt Square

With its modern design, the Viehmarkt, the old livestock market, is located near the former Roman city center, the forum, where the weekly farmers’ market is held Tuesdays and Fridays. Two ancient Roman streets are marked in the paving, a cardo and a decumanus, along with a plaque commemorating the founding of the city under Emperor Augustus around 17 BC. In the 1980s, the square presented the Trier townspeople with an enormous surprise when the third large Roman baths were revealed in the excavations for a the construction of a modern underground parking garage. The renowned architect O. M. Ungers designed a glass cube to protect the remains, thus offering a view into the founding phase of the city. The excavations are accessible and are also used for exhibitions, lectures, conferences, and official functions.