Worms Attractions

Near the road to Mainz (B 9) in Worms, surrounded by vineyards, is the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady; 13th-15th century; R.C.), which has a fine tabernacle and a 15th century figure of the Virgin.

This site was the original source of Liebfraumilch until the turn of the century. The monastery buildings have belonged to the Valckenberg company, an important producer, since 1808.

This annual festival runs from late August to early September and is known throughout Germany as one of the liveliest. Daily entertainment is provided, along with plenty of food.

On the banks of the Rhine in Worms, by the landing stage, is a statue (1906) of Hagen sinking the treasure of the Nibelungs in the Rhine.

North of the Worms Cathedral is the Heylshof (built in 1884 on the site of the old Bishop's Palace), an art gallery with a collection of painting of the 16th-19th centuries, sculpture, stained glass, porcelain, etc.

Farther north, in Lutherplatz, can be seen the Luther Memorial (by Ernst Rietschel, 1868), commemorating Luther's appearance before the Diet of Worms in 1521.

Northwest of the two churches in Worms Old Town, on the Andreasring, is the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in Europe (gravestones dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries).

Southwest of the Worms Cathedral are the Late Romanesque church of St Magnus (10th-14th C.; Protestant), the town's first church, with a spire, and the former St Andrew's Church (12th-13th C.), which along with the adjoining monastic buildings now houses the Municipal Museum (Roman antiquities, medieval art, Luther Room).

In the north of the old town of Worms lies the well-preserved (partly restored) old Jewish quarter, with the Romanesque Synagogue (destroyed 1938, rebuilt 1961), a ritual bath (mikve, 1186) and the Raschi-Haus (Jewish Museum). Nearby are remains of the old town walls.

To the east of the Worms Cathedral, in the Marktplatz, can be found the Trinity Church (1709-25; fine interior) and the Town Hall (1956-58).

To the northeast is St Paul's Church (Romanesque), with two round towers topped by domes.