Worms

Last Sunday we drove northwest just 30 minutes to Worms (rhymes with "forms" and the "w" is pronounced as a "v"). Worms is one of German's oldest cities. As early as 413 it became the capital of the Burgundian kingdom. Worms was ruled subsequently by the Huns, the Alemans, and the Franks (under Charlemagne). In the Middle Ages it hosted the "diet" or imperial parliament including the famous one in 1521 where Luther refused to recant his theses and was declared an outlaw. There are remnants of all of this rich history still in Worms. We had a great visit walking through Worms and through centuries of history.

Worms has a wonderful Romanesque cathedral which dates to the 11th and 12th centuries.

We walked down into the crypt beneath the high altar. It contains the stone sarcophagi of several member of the Salian dynasty of Holy Roman emperors.

The weather was spectacular! The sun was shining. It was very warm. The crocus and daffodils were blooming. It is really spring here in Germany!

Much of the old Worms city walls remain and were incorporated into new construction.

Here is where Martin Luther refused to recant at the 1521 Diet of Worms.

This is the entrance to the Heiliger Sand, Europe's oldest Jewish cemetery.

A nice warm day called for ice cream.

Martinskirche.

The monument to Martin Luther.

The Raschi Tor.

Pauluskirche rebuilt after its devastation in WWII with beautiful stained glass.

A beautiful city! We drove home, walked down the Heidelberg Hauptstrasse for a Doner to top off a wonderful day.