Places we have been.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Worms: dubbed as the city of Martin Luther

Apart from being one of the oldest city in Germany, Worms is famous for the Diet of Worms, to which Martin Luther was summoned in 1521 to Emperor Charles V. He refused to recant his beliefs, saying the famous words "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen." As a result, he was banned to the outer reaches of the empire and he was declared as an outlaw.

Worm's Roman Catholic bishopric was dated back to the 4th century. One Pope has been elected in this city. The Cathedrals of St. Peter and St Paul were completed in 1325 and survived the destruction of World War II. The St. Peter Cathedral is one of the finest Romanesque architecture in Germany along side the nearby cathedrals in Speyer and Mainz. They are called the Imperial Cathedrals.

As we entered the city of Worms, we were greeted by the tower of Nibelungen. It is featured in the German epic poem 'Nibelungenlied' (The Song of the Nibelungs), it tells the story of Segfried, the dragon-slayer at the court of the Burgundians, his murder, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge.

We visited the St. Peter's Cathedral. It is quite amazing to see this icon of the 13th century. Its external walls are decorated with sculptures. One of the four towers was under renovation and some art works at the altar were currently refurbished. In one sides of the cathedral is a monument of the 4th century bishop, Burchard of Worms.

St. Peter's Cathedral

The monument of Bishop Burkhard
 Sculptures around the cathedral
Inside the cathedral is a little bit dark, I felt somehow that we stepped into a different era. Similar to the cathedral in Speyer; the pillar and columns are very high, there are different chapels around and right below the altar is a crypt of bishops and royalties at that time.


The Altar

The Organ
 One of the chapels in the cathedral


The Baptistry chapel
Going to the Crypt, we were looking at the structure of the Crypt and the names of those ones buried there.
 The Tombs below the Altar
 The original structure of the Cathedral, some parts have been destroyed in 16th century . A miniature outside the cathedral.

Looking at the 8th century church, St. Magnus

Subsequently, we drove down to the Rhine River area to have lunch. The restaurants were packed with tourist as it is located right at the Rhine cruise boat station.
The Bootshaus Restaurant




We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the view of the Rhine River. It was such a wonderful place to relax while having a sip of coffee.
Racing speed boats
River police on patrol

To view the Worms photo album, click on the link below.

http://jernie1.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album03

There were more places to see i.e. museums and things to do in this city but we opted to see only the old cathedrals. It's really great to see such a historical site.

Posted by: Jernie

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