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.

Trier: the Border Town with a Long Roman Past

Life is really a strange thing. I had spent more than a decade living and working in Germany, spoke the language, know its people, culinary traditions and customs very well, but I had visited far fewer places in Germany than I had in countries such as Spain, Greece, and Turkey. Although there are many places in Germany which are worth a visit, it just does not seem to arouse my interest enough to induce me to book that flight or train ticket online and get my suitcase ready. While many overseas visitors spent quite a bit of time and money to visit those places which I could have easily travelled to on any weekend, I simply ignored them unless I was there on a subsidised trip.

That was the case with Trier, the Roman city on the Moselle and arguably one of the oldest cities in Germany. The city is famous for its UNESCO inscribed Roman monuments, its wines and scenic boat tour up the valleys of the Moselle all the way up to the border with Luxembourg, and is known throughout the world as the birthplace of Karl Marx.