Speyer, Medieval river port town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Speyer sits on the west bank of the Rhine and features a historic core with narrow lanes and buildings from several centuries. Streets run from the Romanesque cathedral to the Altpörtel, one of Germany's oldest city gates dating from the 13th century.
The settlement began in 150 AD as a Roman garrison and later became the seat of a bishop in the early Middle Ages. The place gained importance under Salian emperors who resided here and sought to govern the empire from the town.
The name developed from Roman Noviomagus to medieval Spira, reflecting centuries of settlement along the river. Today residents honor the city's role in the Reformation, when reformers challenged church authority at an assembly that gave birth to the word Protestant.
Railway links connect directly to Mannheim and Karlsruhe, while an airfield south of town serves small aircraft. The old town is easy to explore on foot since many sites lie close together.
A 12th-century Jewish ritual bath lies beneath Judengasse and ranks among the oldest surviving mikvahs in Europe. Access leads down steep steps to a basin still fed by groundwater today.
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