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Speyer

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Speyer
Town
Speyer: Maximilianstraße with cathedral in the background
Speyer: Maximilianstraße with cathedral in the background
Coat of arms of Speyer
Coat of arms
Location of Speyer
Map
CountryGermany
StateRhineland-Palatinate
DistrictUrban district
Subdivisions4 Stadtteile
Government
 • Lord mayorHansjörg Eger (CDU)
Area
 • Total42.58 km2 (16.44 sq mi)
Elevation
92 m (302 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[1]
 • Total51,368
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
67346
Dialling codes06232
Vehicle registrationSP
Websitewww.speyer.de

Speyer (older spelling Speier, known as Spire in French and formerly 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 and, as well as the French, this is still reflected in the names Spira and Espira used in Italian and Spanish. The city's name may be the origin of the Ashkenazi Jewish name, Shapiro, and its variants.

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

Imperial Town of Speyer
Reichsstadt Speyer
1294–1792
StatusFree Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire
CapitalSpeyer
Common languagesPalatine German
GovernmentRepublic
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Founded
ca 10 BC
• Gained Reichsfreiheit
1294
• Speyer Diet confirms Edict of Worms
19 April 1529
• Protestation at Speyer
20 April 1529
1688
• Annexed by France
1792
• Annexed to Bavaria
1816 1792
10 August 1946
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Bishopric of Speyer
Mont-Tonnerre
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

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Speyer is twinned with:[2]

Notable natives

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Bevölkerungsstand 2022, Kreise, Gemeinden, Verbandsgemeinden" (PDF) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt Rheinland-Pfalz. 2023.
  2. ^ "Städtepartnerschaften" (official web site) (in German). Stadt Speyer. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
  3. ^ "International collaboration". gmiezno.eu. Gniezno. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Ningde (China)" (official web site) (in German). Stadt Speyer. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Speyer.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Speyer.
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