We have a couple more stops planned near Trier. The first one is the Mariensäule that is always visible from almost anywhere in Trier and we really wanted to reach during our visit. We take the car up the hill and with some difficulty find some parking and then we have one more short walk up the hill to the viewpoint.
There is a viewpoint right where we reach the bluff but it is not yet the main viewpoint, that one is at Mariensäule which is just a short additional distance away.
Mariensäule is a 41m tall column that was erected in the 19th century against the backdrop of conflicts between the Catholic urban population and the Prussian-Protestant government. Initially you could walk up the column using a spiral staircase but after an accident in 1905 that is not allowed anymore.
There are some nice views over Trier from here, we can see all the highlights including Porta Nigra, the Dom and the other Roman sights including the Roman bridge. it is quite beautiful but also hot in the sun unfortunately so after some photos we decide to return to shade and then to the car.
There is actually a trail that climbs from the city to the column and one of us has done it before and we would have liked to do it again but it is too hot so maybe next time. And now it is time to leave Trier, first by taking an ill fated detour towards Igel to see the Roman monument and then towards Mannheim our next stop for the day. On a side note the Igel detour was a failure because the road was closed and there was no way to access the column no matter how we tried, we didn’t expect the main road to Luxembourg from Trier to be fully closed.
