Speyer

Speyer, historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer lies 25 km (16 miles) south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim, and 21 km (13 miles) south-west of Heidelberg. Founded by the Romans as a fortified town on the northeastern frontier of their empire, it is one of Germany's oldest cities. Speyer Cathedral, a number of other churches, and the Altpörtel ("old gate") dominate the Speyer landscape. In the cathedral, beneath the high altar, are the tombs of eight Holy Roman Emperors and German kings. Speyer is one of the ShUM cities, which formed the centre of the Jewish community in northern Europe during the Middle Ages. The city's medieval Judenhof was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. The cathedral is also a World Heritage Site, having been listed in 1981.