Worms: Home of the Nibelungenlied and the Oldest City in Germany?

I remember very well that, during my first semester as a freshman undergraduate at the university, the topic of my very first lecture in Early Modern European History was about the 'Diet of Worms'. At first the name 'Worms' sounds really funny, for it reminds one of the crawling non-arthropod invertebrate creatures, instead of an important imperial Holy Roman Empire city and a strategic stronghold of a place on the bank of the River Rhine. But this city actually witnessed some of the most decisive moments in the history of modern Europe, and is in contention with Trier and Cologne to vie for the title of the oldest city in Germany.   

The city of Worms is best known in Germany for the following few things: the place where the 1521 Diet of Worms, at which Martin Luther was summoned to appear before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to recant or to defend his 95 These, took place; as the backdrop of the medieval epic saga Das Nibelungenlied; and the city where some of the most famous Romanesque architectures from the early Middle Ages can be seen.

Above is the rear of the Cathedral of Worms, one of the finest examples of early medieval Romansque religious buildings in Europe. Unfortunately, most of the historical buildings now standing in Worms are not the original, as a substantial part of the city centre of Worms was sacked by the French during the Nine Years' War in 1689, which led to the beginning of the city's decline. The city was once more occupied by the troops of the French First Republic during the French Revolutionary War of 1792-1802. In WWII, Worms suffered some of the heaviest bombings by RAF due to the city's strategic location as a German stronghold on the Rhine, as the Allied Forces were planning a major offensive across the Rhine. It was estimated that almost 40% of the city centre was destroyed in the air raids.

After the war, the city was rebuilt, but it seems that a sense of a place in terminal decline following centuries of war, occupation, rampage and destruction has become so firmly entrenched in the psyche of Worms, the whole place smacks so strongly of this gloomy, doomsday feeling. There is nothing really bright or joyous about this place, it feels like a ancient medieval town weighed down by years of torment and suppression. In short it feels like one of those former Communist towns in the eastern part of Germany. 

Fortunately for Worms, the is one redeeming feature that brings life back to this ancient city, namely its location on the Rhine and the presence of a nice riverside promenade where locals can socialise and have some beers at one of the riverside beergardens and restaurants which offer good views of the Rhine. There are also boat trips departing from one of the piers along the embankment that go upstream to Ludwigshafen, Mannheim and even as far as Heidelberg. 

Being the place where Hagen, one of the characters from the well known Germanic folk saga 'Das Nibelungenleid', supposedly had dumped the treasures into the Rhine, Worms has a museum that is specifically dedicated to everything that is related to the this epic of a tale. Even the huge tower astride the bridge over the Rhine is known as the Nibelungen Tower. And this structure sure looks like something which comes out directly from the pages of that story.

When in Worms, make sure you try out the local white wines at one of the local restaurants, accompanied by some freshly baked Flammkuchen. Although Worms is primarily best known for the not-so-good and terribly sweet Liebfraumilch, in recent years the vineyards in the surrounding villages actually produce some lesser known, but fairly decent white wines, the taste of which goes very well with the salty German food.

Reconstructed early medieval fortifications and city walls can still be seen in large parts of the old town. In addition to its Romansque and medieval heritage, Worms was also home to one of the oldest Jewish quarter in the whole of Germany. The history of Jewish settlement in Worms dated back for centuries all the way from the early Middle Ages, until the Holocaust brought the continuous presence of a thriving Jewish community in this city to a sad end. In the postwar years, the former Jewish Quarter, destroyed during the 1938-1945 period, has been carefully restored, but very few Jews actually remain in the city after the disasters of 1938-1945. The Jewish synagogue, one of the oldest of its kind in Germany, was destroyed in the Kristallnacht of 1938. Although it has also been fully restored and is now open to visit, in 2010 this symbol of the Jewish heritage in Worms was subjected to firebomb attacks and the Synagogue building was set ablazed. Fortunately there was no casualties.   

For those who are looking for a day-trip destination while in transit between flights at Frankfurt airport, Worms, Mainz, Wiesbaden or Darmstadt are some of the places worth considering. Worms is connected by train to Mannheim, from where regular high speed trains as well as regional trains are available throughout the day to the international airport at Frankfurt. As the prices of hotel accommodation are far cheaper in Worms than in Frankfurt, it is also a viable option to stay overnight in this historical city on the Rhine and travel by train to Frankfurt airport early next morning.

Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.