Forum baths, Roman thermal complex in Trier, Germany

The Forum baths are an ancient Roman bathing complex in the city of Trier, Germany, with several levels containing pools, heated rooms, and service areas. The whole site is housed under a glass structure that lets visitors look down onto the stone walls, floors, and underground heating channels.

The baths were built in the 2nd century AD for the people of Augusta Treverorum, the Roman name for what is now Trier. After the Roman period ended, the ruins gradually disappeared under later buildings and remained hidden for centuries.

The name comes not from the forum but from the Viehmarkt, the cattle market created in 1811 on the former Capuchin monastery garden above the ruins. The Capuchins had built over the eastern part of the baths in the 17th and 18th centuries. Since June 1998 the site has also hosted concerts, the annual Weinforum and temporary exhibitions such as Herbert Piel's 2016 photo show.

The ruins have been open to visitors since June 1998, so check opening times before setting out rather than assuming round-the-clock access. The protective glass building by Oswald Mathias Ungers encloses the remains of both the baths and the Capuchin monastery built over their eastern part. The red paving of the Viehmarkt outside traces the lines of the Roman street grid.

The 1987 excavation for an underground car park revealed the baths, but the garage was not cancelled: it was built beneath a shifted section of the Viehmarkt to spare most of the ruins. Critics noted that the deep dig still destroyed archaeologically interesting layers. The site has been open to visitors since June 1998.