Speyer

Speyer (formerly known as Spires in English) is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities. The first known names were Noviomagus and Civitas Nemetum, after the Teutonic tribe, Nemetes, settled in the area. Around the year 500 the name Spira first appeared in written documents. Spire, Spira, and Espira are still names used for Speyer in the French, Italian, and Spanish languages.

Speyer is dominated by the Speyer Cathedral, a number of churches and the Altpörtel (old gate). In the cathedral, beneath the high altar, are the tombs of eight Holy Roman emperors and German kings.

History

Main article: History of Speyer

Main street in Speyer with the Speyer Cathedral in the background

Timeline

In 10 BC, the first Roman military camp is established (situated between the town hall and the episcopal palace).
In 150, the town appears as Noviomagus on the world map of the Greek geographer Ptolemy.
In 346, a bishop for the town is mentioned for the first time.
In 1030, emperor Conrad II starts the construction of Speyer Cathedral, today one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
In 1076, emperor Henry IV embarks from Speyer, his favourite town, for Canossa.
In 1084, establishment of the first Jewish community in Speyer.
In 1294, the bishop loses most of his previous rights, and from now on Speyer is a Free Imperial Town of the Holy Roman Empire.
In 1349, the Jewish community of Speyer is wiped out.
Between 1527 and 1689, Speyer is the seat of the Imperial Chamber Court.
In 1526, at the Diet of Speyer (1526) interim toleration of Lutheran teaching and worship is decreed.
In 1529, at the Diet of Speyer (1529) the Lutheran states of the empire protest against the anti-Reformation resolutions (19 April 1529 Protestation at Speyer, hence the term Protestantism).
In 1635, Marshal of France Urbain de Maillé-Brézé, together with Jacques Nompar de Caumont, duc de La Force, conquers Heidelberg and Speyer at the head of the Army of Germany.
In 1689, the town is heavily damaged by French troops.
Between 1792 and 1814, Speyer is under French jurisdiction.
In 1816, Speyer becomes the seat of administration of the Palatinate and of the government of the Rhine District of Bavaria (later called the Bavarian Palatinate), and remains so until the end of World War II.
Between 1883 and 1904, the Memorial Church is built in remembrance of the Protestation of 1529.
In 1947, the State Academy of Administrative Science is founded (later renamed German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer).
In 1990, Speyer celebrates its 2000th anniversary.

Main sights

Altpörtel – Old town gate
Gedächtniskirche (Speyer) – Memorial Church
Jewish courtyard – Remnants of medieval Synagogue and intact mikve
Technikmuseum Speyer – Transportation Museum
Historical Museum of the Palatinate

Twin towns – sister cities

Speyer is twinned with:^[2]

Spalding, United Kingdom, since 1956
Chartres, France, since 1959
Kursk, Russia, since 1989
Ravenna, Italy, since 1989
Gniezno, Poland, since 1992^[3]
Yavne, Israel, since 1998
Rusizi, Rwanda, since 1982/2001
Ningde, China, since October 2013 together with:
- Worms, Germany, since October 2014^[4]

Notable natives

Simha of Speyer (13th century) was a German rabbi and tosafist. He was one of the leading signatories of the Takkanot Shum.
Johann Joachim Becher (1635–1682), German physician, alchemist, precursor of chemistry, scholar and adventurer
Anselm Feuerbach (1829–1880), German painter
Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt (1832–1902), German physician
Henry Villard (1835–1900), German-American journalist
Hans Purrmann (1880–1966), German visual artist
George Waldbott (1898–1982), German-American physician
Karl Haas (1913–2005), German-American music educator
Alfred Cahn (born 1922), German musician
Edgar E. Stern (born 1926), clinical social worker and author of The Peppermint Train: Journey to a German-Jewish Childhood
Gabriel Kney (born 1929), Canadian organ builder
Christoph Bechmann (born 1971), German field-hockey player
Elias Harris (born 1989), German international basketball player

Notes

↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden am 31.12.2012". Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). 2013.
↑ "Städtepartnerschaften" (official web site) (in German). Stadt Speyer. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
↑ "International collaboration". gmiezno.eu. Gniezno. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
↑ "Ningde (China)" (official web site) (in German). Stadt Speyer. Retrieved 2015-01-16.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Speyer.

speyer.de the town website (partly in English)
museum.speyer.de Historical Museum of the Palatinate (English)
dom-speyer.de website of Speyer Cathedral (German)
Model Map of Medieval Speyer
Speyer, its cathedral and the library of its chapter
Technical (Transport) Museum
www.historische-fuehrung-speyer.de: living history in past times
www.speyer-tour.de: Guided tours through Speyer
City overview and photos

Urban and rural districts in the State of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany

Urban districts	Frankenthal Kaiserslautern Koblenz Landau Ludwigshafen Mainz Neustadt Pirmasens Speyer Trier Worms Zweibrücken

Rural districts	Ahrweiler Altenkirchen Alzey-Worms Bad Dürkheim Bad Kreuznach Bernkastel-Wittlich Birkenfeld Bitburg-Prüm Cochem-Zell Donnersbergkreis Germersheim Kaiserslautern Kusel Mainz-Bingen Mayen-Koblenz Neuwied Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis Rhein-Lahn-Kreis Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis Südliche Weinstraße Südwestpfalz Trier-Saarburg Vulkaneifel Westerwaldkreis

Important cities and tourist sites in Germany: Greater region of Heidelberg / Rhine-Neckar–Palatinate

Major cities

Other touristic sites

Landscapes

Neighboring areas

Germany	Frankfurt Heidelberg Karlsruhe Saarbrücken Stuttgart Trier Würzburg

France	Alsace Lorraine Wissembourg