Speyer, DE

Speyer Cathedral

Speyer Cathedral was founded around 1030, under Conrad II (1027-1039). The crypt was consecrated in 1041, and the cathedral in 1061. From 1082 to 1106, it was transformed by Henry IV (1084-1105). The cathedral of Speyer suffered many fires, notably in 1137 and 1159. In 1689, it was seriously damaged by the troops of Louis XIV during the sacking of the Palatinate and burnt down on 31 May 1689. It was rebuilt between 1758 and 1777. After the French Revolution, which damaged the building, the cathedral was repaired again between 1818 and 1821. The interior was painted in the middle of the 19th century but the paintings were removed for some of them during a complete restoration of the cathedral from 1957 to 1961. The cathedral is the largest preserved Romanesque church in the world, an example of Rhineland Romanesque construction that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1981.

About this building

Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Monuments
  • Interior features
  • Links to national heritage
  • Famous people or stories

Visitors information

  • Accessible toilets nearby
  • Café within 500m

Other nearby buildings

Medieval synagogue

The medieval synagogue was dedicated in 1104 and was designed as a Romanesque hall roughly 34 feet wide and 57 feet long. Only the east wall is still remaining and little is known about the interior of the building.

Jesuit Church

The Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius and Franz Xaver was built between 1738 and 1760 and designed by Baroque architects such as Alessandro Galli da Bibiena, Franz Wilhelm Rabaliatti and Nicolas de Pigage. In 1773, Pope Clement XIV abolished the Jesuit order and the Jesuit church officially became the Church of the Great Court. However, as early as 1778, the church was given to the Lazarists, who themselves had to leave the church in 1794. In 1802, the Jesuit church in Mannheim became the parish church of the city. After the Second World War, the church had to be extensively restored due to bombing.

Wikimedia Commons/Altera levatur

Synagogue in Fußgönheim

The synagogue in Fußgönheim was built in 1842. A Jewish community lived in Fußgönheim from 1684; a Jewish cemetery existed in the village from 1821 at the latest. The synagogue, built in 1842, burnt down on 19th August 1901 but was rebuilt the following year. Closed from 1928, the building was spared the pogroms of November 1938 and was used as a warehouse until then. Since 1997, the former synagogue building has been used by the German Potato Museum. Inside, some of the decorative paintings from the Jewish period have been preserved.

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