Steipe and Red Houses, Trier

The Steipe and Red Houses in Trier鈥檚 Main Market Square are architectural icons that showcase the city鈥檚 resilience and rich historical identity. The Steipe House, built in 1483, served as a venue for hosting dignitaries and city council members, reflecting Trier鈥檚 power and pride. The building鈥檚 name, "Steipe," comes from its distinctive arcade supports, adorned with sculptures of saints. Today, these statues are replicas, with the originals preserved at the City Museum Simeonstift. Damaged heavily during World War II, the Steipe was rebuilt in the 1970s in the original Late-Gothic style, a project funded entirely by the people of Trier, who raised 105,200 Marks in just six months. The faithful reconstruction reflects not only architectural heritage but also civic pride, reinforced by its grand merlons and symbolic knight statues鈥攐ne knight eyeing the marketplace and the other gazing intently at the cathedral, hand on his sword.

Nearby, the Red House tells its tale of Trier鈥檚 storied past. Built in 1684 as the residence of Johann Wilhelm Polch, the cathedral secretary, it bears an inscription that proclaims Trier鈥檚 founding 1300 years before the Romans鈥攁 legend dating back to the Trier Episcopal Chronicle. While few in the 17th century took this seriously, the inscription served as a comforting affirmation of Trier鈥檚 ancient roots during a period marked by conflict and population decline. Today, the Red House, adorned with a statue of Saint Anthony, is home to a charming cafe where visitors can savor the layered history and local pride embedded in this historic corner of Trier.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Trier. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Steipe and Red Houses
Sight Location: Trier, Germany (See walking tours in Trier)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Trier Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Trier, Germany

Create Your Own Walk in Trier

Creating your own self-guided walk in Trier is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Trier Introduction Walking Tour

Trier is Germany鈥檚 oldest city and features beautiful Roman ruins, impressive medieval architecture, stunning churches, and fascinating museums.

While an inscription on the famous Red House states that the city was founded 1300 years before the Romans arrived, this has never been proven. The Celtics originally founded Trier during the fourth century BC. The Romans arrived in the first century... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles

In The Footsteps of Karl Marx

Apart from being a home to the largest number of Roman ruins outside Rome, Trier is also extremely popular with international tourists, especially those from China, as the hometown of Karl Marx.

Here, the father of socialism and one of the most important philosophers of the 19th century, who, as an adult, managed to change the course of the world's history, had spent the first 17 years of... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles

Trier's Roman Ruins Walking Tour

Nowadays it sounds a bit weird that a small German town of Trier, some 20-minute drive from the Luxembourg border, was once the capital of the mighty Western Roman Empire. Still, "the second Rome", as the emperor Diocletian used to call it, today fully lives up to its former status.

Founded in 15 BC by the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus, this oldest city in Germany is a home to the... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.9 Km or 3 Miles

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