Worms, Germany
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Wormser Dom |
Worms (
pronounced ) is a city in the southwest of
Germany. Its name is of
Celtic origin:
Borbetomagus meant "settlement in a watery area". This was eventually transformed into the
Latin name
Vormatia that had been in use since the
6th century.
Today the city, in the federal state of
Rhineland-Palatinate (
German:
Rheinland-Pfalz) and lying on the
Rhine, is an industrial centre and is famed for its local
Liebfraumilch wine. Other industries include chemicals and metal goods. At the end of
2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.
Worms is one of the major sites where the events of the ancient German
Nibelungenlied took place. A multimedia
Nibelungenmuseum was opened in 2001, and a yearly festival right in front of the
Dom, the
Cathedral of Worms, attempts to recapture the atmosphere of the piece.
Celts and Romans
The city has existed since before
Roman times, when it was captured and fortified by the Romans under
Drusus in 14 BC. From that time, a small troop of infantry and cavalry were garrisoned in
Augusta Vangionum this gave the settlement its romanized but originally Celtic name
Borbetomagus. (Many fanciful variant names for Worms exist only upon the title pages of books printed when Worms was an early centre of printing: for instance
William Tyndale's
English translation of the
New Testament was printed at Worms in 1526.) The garrison developed into a small town with the regularized Roman street plan, a forum, and temples for the main gods
Jupiter,
Juno,
Minerva (upon whose temple, as is usual, was built the cathedral) and
Mars.
Roman inscriptions and altars and votive offerings can be seen in the archeological museum, along with one of Europe's largest collections of
Roman glass. Local potters worked in the south quarter of the town. Fragments of amphoras show that the olive oil they contained had come from
Hispania Baetica, doubtless by sea and then up the Rhine. At Borbetomagus,
Gunther king of the Burgundians, set himself up as puppet-emperor, the unfortunate
Jovinus, during the disorders of 411 – 413. The city became the chief city of the first kingdom of the
Burgundians, who left few remains; however, a belt clasp from Worms-Abenheim is a museum treasure. They were overwhelmed in 437 by
Hun mercenaries called in by the Roman general
Aëtius to put an end to Burgundian raids, in an epic disaster that provided the source for the
Nibelungenlied.
The Middle Ages
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Worms was a Christian
bishopric since
614 (but was
secularized in
1801 and passed to
Hesse-Darmstadt). In the
Frankish Empire, the city was the location of an important
palatinate of
Charlemagne (Karl der Grosse), who built one of his many administrative palaces here. The bishops administered the city and its territory. The most famous of the early medieval bishops was
Burchard of Worms.
Worms Cathedral (
Wormser Dom), dedicated to
St Peter, is one of the finest examples of
Romanesque architecture in Germany. Alongside the nearby Romanesque cathedrals of
Speyer and
Mainz, it is one of the so-called
Kaiserdome (Imperial cathedrals). Some parts in early Romanesque style from the
10th century still exist, while most parts are from the 11th and 12th century, with some later additions in
gothic style (see the external links below for pictures).
Four other Romanesque churches as well as the Romanesque old city fortification still exist, making the city Germany's second in Romanesque architecture only to
Cologne.
Golden age
Worms prospered especially in the High
Middle Ages. Having received far-reaching privileges from King Henry IV (later
Emperor Henry III) as early as
1074, the city later became an
Reichsstadt, being independent of a local territory and responsible only to the Emperor himself. As a result, Worms was the site of several important events in the history of the
Holy Roman Empire. In
1122 the
Concordat of Worms was signed; in
1495, a
Reichstag concluded here made an attempt at reforming the disintegrating
Imperial Circle Estates of the
Reichsreform (Imperial Reform). Most importantly, among more than a hundred Imperial Diets held at Worms, the
Reichstag of
1521 (commonly known as
the Diet of Worms) ended with the
Edict of Worms at which
Martin Luther was declared an
outlaw after refusing to recant his religious beliefs.
Judaism in Worms
The city is known as a former centre for
Judaism. The
cemetery (
illustration, right) dating from the
11th century is believed to be the oldest in
Europe; an ancient
synagogue was built around
1034. Prominent rabbis of Worms include
Elazar Rokeach and
Yair Bacharach. Much of the
Jewish Quarter was destroyed in the events known as
Kristallnacht in
1938, and a recognizable Jewish community in Worms no longer exists. However, after renovations in the
1970s and
1980s, many of the buildings of the Quarter can be seen in a close to original state, preserved as an outdoor museum.
Destruction and rebuilding
The city was nearly destroyed twice in its history. In
1689,
French troops invaded, almost eradicating the city during the Palatine war of succession; it came under French rule again from
1789 until
1816. Again, it was heavily bombed one night in February
1945 by the
Royal Air Force during the last few months of
World War II.
Worms is
twinned with:
*
Auxerre,
France*
Bautzen,
Germany*
Mobile, Alabama,
United States*
Parma,
Italy*
St Albans,
England*
Tiberias,
Israel*
Samuel Adler, a noted
Reform rabbi, was born in Worms
*
Timo Hildebrand,
German national footballer, was born in Worms
*
*The
Official website of the city of Worms
(in English)*
Nibelungenmuseum website
(in English)*
wormser-dom.de, website of the Worms Cathedral with pictures
(in German; click on the "Bilder" link in the left pane)*
letsgo.com, a city guide including where to eat and what to see
(in English)*
Wormatia, the famous football club of Worms
(in German)*
Worms Tramway, a historic page with old pictures
(in German)*
wormser-region.de, another website about Worms
(in German)*
Let's go party in Worms! Partypictures from Worms and surroundings
