Yesterday we walked right past a glass building and didn’t even realize it was the 3rd of the large Roman Baths in Trier, covered excavations. So when it opened this morning at 11:00, we were there. Just outside were these farmers’ markets.
I loved how they’ve preserved this site and made it accessible for visitors. It’s right in the heart of town, and was under other buildings, but found and excavated in 1994. The Forum Baths of Trier were converted in the 4th century C.E. from some older buildings, dated to around the 2nd century C.E.
Like the other bath houses in Trier, the Forum Baths were in use through the end of the 4th century. But the complex fell out of use during the early fifth century when Trier was repeatedly attacked and destroyed during the Migration Period.
In the 13th century, the remains of the bath began being used as a quarry for local buildings. In the 17th and 18th centuries, a monastery was built over the eastern part of the bathhouse. In 1802, the monastery was dissolved and nine years later, in 1811, the garden was transformed into a cattle market from which the ruins get their name.
Here’s how it looked back then:
This was a latrine pit:
There were lots of explanations about what was what and how the water was heated and cooled. There was also an animated film showing how the processes worked. It was all quite interesting.
Our Frankfurt Germany Mission 