Synagogue in Worms-Pfeddersheim

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was first mentioned in 754, when Bishop Chrodegang of Metz attributed it to Gorze Abbey. The present building dates from the 18th century after the church was burnt down in 1689 during the War of the Palatinate Succession. When the church was divided into Catholic and Protestant denominations in 1705, it was still in ruins. Nevertheless, the Reformed community was given the nave, while the Catholic community was granted the choir room. The church tower remains the property of the community. During the reconstruction from 1708 to 1721 (the reformed part) and until 1789 (the catholic part), the separation of the two parts of the church was achieved by a wall without a passage. Both parts of the church were given their own entrances.

St. Peter's Cathedral in Worms is one of the most important Romanesque churches in the Rhine valley, together with the cathedrals of Speyer and Mainz. Only the ground plan and the lower part of the western towers are from the original construction consecrated in 1110. The rest was largely completed in 1181, but the west chancel and vault were built in the 13th century, the elaborate south portal was added in the 14th century, and the central dome was rebuilt.

The medieval synagogue in Worms was built in 1034 and is known as the oldest existing synagogue in Germany. The building was rebuilt in 1175 in the Romanesque style. The building was restored again in 1700 and in 1961 using original pieces. The synagogue is now a museum and functioning worship center used by the Jewish community.