Worms Germany: Encyclopedia - Worms Germany

Worms, Germany

Worms Germany - History

Worms Germany - Celts and Romans

The city has existed since before Roman times, when it was captured and fortified by the Romans under Drusus in 14 BCE. 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 center of printing: William Tyndale's translation of the Bible was printed at Worms, 1525.) 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.

Worms Germany - The Middle Ages

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.

The Worms cathedral 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 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.

Worms Germany - 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.

Worms Germany - Judaism in Worms

The city is known as a former center 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.

Worms Germany - 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 during World War II.

Worms Germany - Town twinning

Worms is twinned with:

• Auxerre, France
• Bautzen, Germany
• Mobile, Alabama, United States
• Parma, Italy
• St Albans, England
• Tiberias, Israel

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Worms Germany", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki