Speyer (English formerly Spires) is a city in Germany (Rhineland-Palatinate) with approx. 50000 inhabitants, located on the Rhine river. It neighbours Worms and Mainz.
Speyer cathedral
History
Archaeological data suggests that the site of the city was originally inhabited by Celts around 500 BC. Under the Romans the city was known as Augusto Nemetum and during the Middle Ages it was a place of considerable importance, 29 imperial diets having been held within its walls.
In 10 BC, the first Roman military camp is established (situated between the city hall and the episcopal palace).
In 346 a bishop for the town is mentioned for the first time.
In 1076, emperor Henry IV embarks from Speyer, his favourite town, for Canossa.
In 1294 the bishop loses most of his previous rights, and from now on Speyer is a free city of the Holy Roman Empire.
Between 1527 and 1689 Speyer is the seat of the Imperial Chamber Court (Reichskammergericht).
In 1526 at the Diet of Speyer, interim toleration of Lutheran teaching and worship is decreed.
In 1529 at another Diet of Speyer, the Lutheran states of the empire protest against the anti-Reformation resolutions (hence the term Protestantism.)
In 1689, the city is heavily damaged by French troops.
Between 1792 and 1814 Speyer is under French jurisdiction.
In 1816 Speyer becomes the seat of administration of the Palatinate and of the government of the Rhine District of Bavaria (later called the Bavarian Palatinate), and remains so until the end of World War Two.
Between 1883 and 1904 the Memorial Church is built in remembrance of the Protestation of 1529.
A spire on a church or cathedral is not just a symbol of piety, but is often seen as a symbol of the wealth and prestige of the order, or patron who commissioned the building.
Its 403-foot (123-m) spire, built between 1320 and 1380, is the tallest of the period anywhere in the world, and in its way is as remarkable as the Coliseum in Rome or the parthenon in Athens.
In the United Kingdom spires generally tend to be reserved for ecclesiastical building, with the exception to this rule being the spire at Burghley House, built for Elizabeth I's Lord Chancellor in 1585.
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