Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

, Speyer lies south of Ludwigshafen and

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

, and south-west of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. Founded by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, it is one of Germany's oldest cities.

Speyer Cathedral , native_name_lang = German , image = Speyer_dom_11.jpg , imagesize = 280px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin ma ...

, a number of other churches, and the Altpörtel (''old gate'') dominate the Speyer landscape. In the cathedral, beneath the high altar, are the tombs of eight Holy Roman Emperors and German kings. The city is famous for the 1529

Protestation at Speyer On April 19, 1529, six princes and representatives of 14 Imperial Free Cities petitioned the Imperial Diet at Speyer against an imperial ban of Martin Luther, as well as the proscription of his works and teachings, and called for the unhin ...

. One of the

ShUM-cities The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

which formed the cultural center of Jewish life in Europe during the Middle Ages, Speyer and its Jewish courtyard was inscribed on the UNESCO

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 2021.

History

The first known names were ''Noviomagus'' and ''Civitas Nemetum'', after the Teutonic tribe,

Nemetes The Nemetes (occasionally ''Nemeti'') were a tribe settled along the Upper Rhine by Ariovistus in the 1st century BC. Their capital, ''Noviomagus Nemeton'' (or ''Civitas Nemetum''), was close to the site of medieval Speyer. Their area of settlem ...

, settled in the area. The name ''Spira'' is first recorded in the 7th century, taken from ''villa Spira'', a Frankish settlement situated outside of ''Civitas Nemetum''.

Timeline

* In 10 BC, the first

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

military camp is established (situated between the town hall and the episcopal palace). * In AD 150, the town appears as Noviomagus on the world map of the Greek geographer

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...

. * In 346, a bishop for the town is mentioned for the first time. * 4th century, ''Civitas Nemetum'' appears on the

Peutinger Map ' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the ''cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The map is a 13th-cen ...

. * 5th century, ''Civitas Nemetum'' is destroyed. * 7th century, the town is re-established, and named ''Spira'' after a nearby Frankish settlement. * In 1030, emperor Conrad II starts the construction of

Speyer Cathedral , native_name_lang = German , image = Speyer_dom_11.jpg , imagesize = 280px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin ma ...

, today one of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. Also in the 11th century, the first city wall is built. * In 1076, emperor Henry IV embarks from Speyer, his favourite town, for

Canossa Canossa ( Reggiano: ) is a ''comune'' and castle town in the Province of Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077 and stood three days bare-headed in the snow to reverse his exco ...

. * In 1084, establishment of the first

Jewish community Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

in Speyer. * In 1096, as

Count Emicho Emicho was a count in the Rhineland in the late 11th century. He is also commonly referred to as Emicho of Leiningen or Emich of Flonheim, and not to be confused with Bishop Emicho of Leiningen. In 1096, he was the leader of the Rhineland massacres ...

's Crusader army rages across the Rhineland slaughtering Jewish communities, Speyer's Bishop John, with the local leader Yekutiel ben Moses, manages to secure the community's members inside the episcopal palace and later leads them to even stronger fortifications outside the town. It was ruled that anyone harming a Jew would have his hands chopped off. * In 1294, the bishop loses most of his previous rights, and from now on Speyer is a

Free Imperial Town In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. * In 1349, the Jewish community of Speyer is wiped out. * Between 1527 and 1689, Speyer is the seat of the

Imperial Chamber Court The ''Reichskammergericht'' (; ; la, Iudicium imperii) was one of the two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, the other one being the Aulic Council in Vienna. It was founded in 1495 by the Imperial Diet in Worms. All legal ...

. * In 1526, at the

Diet of Speyer (1526) The Diet of Speyer or the Diet of Spires (sometimes referred to as Speyer I) was an Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in 1526 in the Imperial City of Speyer in present-day Germany. The Diet's ambiguous edict resulted in a temporary suspens ...

interim toleration of

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

teaching and worship is decreed. * In 1529, at the

Diet of Speyer (1529) The Diet of Speyer or the Diet of Spires (sometimes referred to as Speyer II) was a Diet of the Holy Roman Empire held in 1529 in the Imperial City of Speyer (located in present-day Germany). The Diet condemned the results of the Diet of Spe ...

the Lutheran states of the empire protest against the anti-

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

resolutions (19 April 1529

, 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 after the Battle of Speyer. * In 1816, Speyer becomes the seat of administration of the Palatinate and of the government of the Rhine District of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

(later called the Bavarian Palatinate), and remains so until the end of World War II. * In 1861, Albert Edward was introduced to Alexandra by Crown Princess Victoria. * 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

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

* Altpörtel – Old Town Gate * Gedächtniskirche – Memorial church * Dreifaltigkeitskirche – Trinity church * Jewish courtyard (''Judenhof Speyer'') – remnants of medieval synagogue and intact

mikve Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

, UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Technikmuseum Speyer The Technik Museum Speyer is a technology museum in Speyer (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany. 208 History The museum was opened in 1991 as a sister museum of the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim and is run by a registered alliance called "Auto & Te ...

– Transportation Museum *

Historical Museum of the Palatinate The Historical Museum of the Palatinate (german: Historisches Museum der Pfalz) is a museum in the city of Speyer in the Palatinate region of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is situated across the square from the Speyer Cathedral. ...

Transportation

Speyer lies on the Schifferstadt-Wörth railway and offers hourly connections to

and

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

Mayors

Since 1923 the mayor was a Lord Mayor.

Twin towns – sister cities

Speyer is twinned with: * Spalding, United Kingdom, since 1956 * Chartres, France, since 1959 *

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

, Russia, since 1989 *

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

, Italy, since 1989 *

Gniezno Gniezno (; german: Gnesen; la, Gnesna) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. One of the Piast dynasty's chief cities, ...

, Poland, since 1992 *

Yavne Yavne ( he, יַבְנֶה) or Yavneh is a city in the Central District of Israel. In many English translations of the Bible, it is known as Jabneh . During Greco-Roman times, it was known as Jamnia ( grc, Ἰαμνία ''Iamníā''; la, Iamnia) ...

, Israel, since 1998 *

Rusizi District Rusizi is a district (''akarere'') in Western Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Cyangugu, the major city of the Rwandan south-west and the district contains large parts of the former Cyangugu Province. Geography, flora and fauna The district li ...

, Rwanda, since 1982/2001 *

Ningde Ningde (; Foochow Romanized: Nìng-dáik), also known as Mindong (; Foochow Romanized: Mìng-dĕ̤ng; lit. East of Fujian), is a prefecture-level city located along the northeastern coast of Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders ...

, China, since 2013

Notable people

Born before 1900

* Samuel of Speyer (after 1096–death unknown), Exeget of Torah and Midrash *

Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg (1150 – 22 February 1217), also called Yehuda HeHasid or 'Judah the Pious' in Hebrew, was a leader of the Chassidei Ashkenaz, a movement of Jewish mysticism in Germany considered different from the 18th-century H ...

(1140–1217), scribe and philosopher *

Julian of Speyer Julian of Speyer ( la, Julianus Teutonicus; died c. 1250), also known as Julian of Spires, was a German Franciscan composer, poet and historian of the thirteenth century. Born in Speyer, Julian studied at the University of Paris and was the musi ...

(before 1225– ~ 1250), medieval choir master, composer and poet from the Order of the Franciscans *

Gabriel Biel Gabriel Biel (; 1420 to 1425 – 7 December 1495) was a German scholastic philosopher and member of the Canons Regular of the Congregation of Windesheim, who were the clerical counterpart to the Brethren of the Common Life. Biel was born in Spe ...

(~ 1415–1495), scholastic philosopher * Dietrich Gresemund (1477–1512), author *

Georg von Speyer Georg von Speyer (1500, Speyer, Holy Roman Empire – 11 June 1540, Coro, Klein-Venedig) was a German conquistador in New Granada and Venezuela. His birth name was Georg Hohermuth but he chose to call himself after his place of birth. He ...

(1500–1540), conquistador *

Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg Egon VIII of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (Ernst Egon; 21 March 1588 in Speyer – 24 August 1635 in Constance) was Imperial Count of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg (1618–1635) and Bavarian Field-marshal, and an important military leader in the Thirty ...

(1588–1635), Reichsgraf of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg *

Johann Joachim Becher Johann Joachim Becher (; 6 May 1635 – October 1682) was a German physician, alchemist, precursor of chemistry, scholar and adventurer, best known for his development of the phlogiston theory of combustion, and his advancement of Austrian cameral ...

(1635–1682), German physician, alchemist, precursor of chemistry, scholar and adventurer * Moritz Georg Weidmann (1658–1693), publisher and bookseller * Adolf von Dalberg (1678–1737), Prince of Fulda * Simha of Speyer (13th century) German rabbi and

tosafist The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The auth ...

. He was one of the leading signatories of the

Takkanot Shum The ( he, תקנות שו"ם), or Enactments of SHU"M were a set of decrees formulated and agreed upon over a period of decades by the leaders of three of the central cities of Medieval Rhineland Jewry: Speyer, Worms, and Mainz. The initials of th ...

. * Philipp Hieronymus Brinckmann (1709–1760), landscape and historical painters as well as copper cutters *

Johann Martin Bernatz Johann Martin Bernatz (22 March 1802 – 19 December 1878), was a German landscape artist. Born in Speyer and trained in Vienna, Austria, he spent much of his life in Munich. He accompanied an expedition to Egypt and the Holy Land in 1836, and a ...

(1802–1878), landscape painter *

Anselm Feuerbach Anselm Feuerbach (12 September 1829 – 4 January 1880) was a German painter. He was the leading classicist painter of the German 19th-century school. Biography Early life Feuerbach was born at Speyer, the son of the archaeologist Joseph ...

(1829–1880), German painter * Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt (1832–1902), German physician *

Henry Villard Henry Villard (April 10, 1835 – November 12, 1900) was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway. Born and raised by Ferdinand Heinrich Gustav Hilgard in the Rhenish Palatinate of the Kin ...

(1835–1900), German-American journalist * Hermann von Stengel (1837–1919), Bavarian Administrative Officer *

Wilhelm Meyer (philologist) Wilhelm Meyer (1 April 1845, Speyer – 9 March 1917, Göttingen) was a German classical scholar, initially a librarian and literary scholar, who worked also on musicology. He became professor of Classical and Medieval Latin Philology at the Uni ...

(1845–1917), classical philologist, mediavist and librarian *

Karl Heinrich Emil Becker Karl Heinrich Emil Becker (14 September 1879 – 8 April 1940) was a German weapons engineer and artillery general. He advocated and implemented close ties of the military to science for purposes of advanced weapons development. He was the head o ...

(1879–1940), general of the artillery, ballist and defense scientist * Hans Purrmann (1880–1966), painter, graphic artist, art writer and collector *

Hermann Detzner Hermann Philipp Detzner (16 October 1882 – 1 December 1970) was a German engineer and surveyor, who served as an officer in the German colonial security force (''Schutztruppe'') in ''Kamerun'' (Cameroon) and German New Guinea. He gained fame fo ...

(1882–1970), leader of the German Schutztruppe in

German New Guinea German New Guinea (german: Deutsch-Neu-Guinea) consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups and was the first part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of the territory, called , ...

Karl-Adolf Hollidt Karl-Adolf Hollidt (25 April 1891 – 22 May 1985) was a German army commander and war criminal during World War II. He was a general (''Generaloberst'') in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany who commanded the 6th Army. Career Hollidt enlisted in th ...

(1891–1985), Army officer (Generaloberst) and war criminal *

George Waldbott George L. Waldbott, M.D., FACP (January 14, 1898 – July 17, 1982), was an American physician, scientist, and leading activist against water fluoridation. Background Waldbott, the son of Leo Waldbott and Hermine Rosenberger, was born in 1898 in S ...

(1898–1982), German-American physician

Born after 1900

* George John Dasch (1903–1992), WWII spy who foiled terrorist attacks in the U.S. by Nazi Germany * Jakob Brendel (1907–1964), wrestler *

Karl Haas Karl Haas (December 6, 1913February 6, 2005) was a German-American classical music radio host, known for his sonorous speaking voice, humanistic approach to music appreciation, and popularization of classical music. He was the host of the classi ...

(1913–2005), German-American music educator and radio presenter *

Helmut Bantz Helmut Bantz (14 September 1921 – 4 October 2004) was a German gymnast and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the vault at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, competing for the United Team of Germany. Having fought for Germany in Worl ...

(1921–2004), gymnast * Alfred Cahn (1922–2016), German musician and composer * Edgar E. Stern (born 1926), clinical social worker and author of ''The Peppermint Train: Journey to a German-Jewish Childhood'' *

Gabriel Kney Gabriel Kney (born 21 November 1929) is a Canadian builder of pipe organs based in London, Ontario. Kney was born in Speyer, Germany. At the age of 15, he apprenticed to Paul Sattel of Speyer to become an organ builder, and concurrently studied org ...

(born 1929), Canadian organ builder * Karl Hochreither (1933–2018), German organist and musicologist * Volker Straus (1936–2002) German

tonmeister Tonmeister is most often found as a job description in the music and recording industries. It describes a person who is a sound master (a literal translation of the German word): a person who creates recordings or broadcasts of music who is both d ...

* Jürgen Brecht (born 1940), fencer *

Wolf Frobenius Wolf Frobenius (1 June 1940 – 4 July 2011) was a German musicologist and lecturer, who taught at the Saarland University. Life Born in Speyer, Frobenius studied musicology, art history and history at the University of Freiburg from 1960 to ...

(1940–2011), musicologist * Gerhard Vollmer (born 1943), physicist and philosopher *

Jürgen Creutzmann Jürgen Creutzmann (born 4 October 1945 in Speyer, Germany) is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) who served as a member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014. Early life and work Creutzmann was born in Speyer and ...

(born 1945), politician ( FDP) * Hans-Joachim Lang (born 1951), journalist, Germanist, historian and honorary professor * Axel Schimpf (born 1952), Vice Admiral of the German Navy *

Eberhard Bosslet Eberhard Bosslet (born 1953) is a German contemporary artist who has been producing site-specific art and architectural-related works, such as sculpture, installation, light art and painting, all indoors and outdoors, since 1979. Biography ...

(born 1953), artist * Kay Friedmann (born 1963), footballer *

Markus Kranz Markus Kranz (born 4 August 1969 in Speyer) is a German football coach and a former player. Honours 1. FC Kaiserslautern * Bundesliga: 1990–91 * DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the G ...

(born 1969), football player * Christoph Bechmann (born 1971), German field-hockey player *

Anke Vondung Anke Vondung (born in Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate in 1972), is a German mezzo-soprano. She was a member of the Semperoper Dresden from 2003 to 2006. Career She won third prize in the 1998 ARD International Music Competition in Munich. She has ...

(born 1972), opera singer * Ralf Schmitt (born 1977), football player * Simone Weiler (born 1978), swimmer *

Jochen Kühner Jochen Kühner (born 15 October 1980 in Speyer) is a German rower. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the men's lightweight four. He has also been world champion in this event, along with his brother Martin Kühner, ...

(born 1980), rower * Martin Kühner (born 1980), rower * Matthias Langkamp (born 1984), football player * Christian Reif (born 1984), long jumper * David McCray (born 1986), basketball player *

Florian Krebs Florian Krebs may refer to: * Florian Krebs (footballer, born 1988) * Florian Krebs (footballer, born 1999) {{hndis, Krebs, Florian ...

(born 1988), football player * Sebastian Langkamp (born 1988), footballer * Lars Stindl (born 1988), German footballer *

Elias Harris Elias Harris (born 6 July 1989) is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball at Gonzaga University and plays for the German national team. Junior career ...

(born 1989), German international basketball player * Jonas Marz (born 1989), footballer * Gianluca Korte (born 1990), footballer * Raffael Korte (born 1990), footballer

Notes

External links

speyer.de
the town website (partly in English)
museum.speyer.de
Historical Museum of the Palatinate
dom-speyer.de
website of Speyer Cathedral
Explore the ShUM Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz in the UNESCO collection on Google Arts and Culture

Model Map of Medieval Speyer

Speyer, its cathedral and the library of its chapter

Technical (Transport) Museum

www.speyer.de: living history in past times

www.speyer-tour.de: Guided tours through Speyer

{{Authority control 1792 disestablishments History of the Palatinate (region) States and territories established in 1294 Palatinate (region)