Country Germany District Urban district Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Population 49,930 (31 Dec 2008) | State Rhineland-Palatinate Elevation 92 m (302 ft) Postal codes 67346 Local time Wednesday 3:23 PM | |
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Weather 20°C, Wind SW at 18 km/h, 38% Humidity Points of interest Technik Museum Speyer, Old Gate, Gedächtniskirche, Speyer Cathedral, Sea Life Speyer |
Speyer ( [ˈʃpaɪ̯ɐ], older spelling Speier, known as Spire in French and formerly as Spires in English) is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km (16 miles) south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities. The first known names were Noviomagus and Civitas Nemetum, after the Teutonic tribe, Nemetes, settled in the area. Around AD 500 the name Spira first appeared in written documents and, as well as the French, this is still reflected in the names Spira and Espira used in Italian and Spanish. The city's name may be the origin of the Ashkenazi Jewish name, Shapiro, and its variants.
Contents
- Map of 67346 Speyer Germany
- Timeline
- Main sights
- Mayors
- Twin towns sister cities
- Born before 1900
- Born after 1900
- References
Map of 67346 Speyer, Germany
Speyer is dominated by the Speyer Cathedral, a number of churches and the Altpörtel (old gate). In the cathedral, beneath the high altar, are the tombs of eight Holy Roman emperors and German kings.
Timeline
Main sights
Mayors
Since 1923 the mayor was a Lord Mayor.
Twin towns – sister cities
Speyer is twinned with: