Viticulture, imperial cathedrals and SchUM sites on the Rhine
Long before the imposing imperial cathedrals were built and before the Jewish communities settled in Mainz, Worms and Speyer, it was the Romans who founded the cities that became so important in the Middle Ages to secure the borders of the Roman Empire.
The historical parallels are still the basis of a close relationship between the three cities, which have developed very differently in modern times.
We can only recommend that you follow the Rhine downstream to Worms and through the Rheinhessen wine landscape to Mainz and visit our historic neighbouring towns to the north.
Worms - Nibelungen, Luther, wine and baked fish
It is not uncommon for history to shape a city. But for a story to shape a city in the way that it has in Worms is unusual to say the least. We are talking about the Song of the Nibelungs, the much-sung legend from the early Middle Ages, in which Worms is a central location for bloody and intriguing actions.
The protagonists of the Nibelungs are omnipresent in Worms. Hagen throws the treasure of the Nibelungs into the river on the banks of the Rhine and streets in Worms are dedicated to pretty much every character from the Song of the Nibelungs. The queens Kriemhild and Brunhild fight in public in the shadow of the cathedral while Siegfried watches from a nearby fountain. The Nibelung Theatre Festival has a firm place in the calendar of the most important open-air theatre events in Germany and you will encounter medium-sized dragons in all colours all over Worms.
However, the city's central landmark remains St. Peter's Imperial Cathedral, one of the greatest creations of Romanesque church architecture. As the scene of a papal election (1048), the Concordat of Worms and the associated end of the investiture dispute (1122) and the Imperial Diet of 1521, at which Luther refused to recant his theses, the cathedral secured its place in German and religious history early on.
From the cathedral, it is only a stone's throw across Weckerlingplatz to the Andreasstift, the city museum and one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It is not only in this area that the old city wall has been extensively renovated and attractively landscaped from the outside. A plot of vines right next to the oldest part of the city wall in the city centre makes it clear that Worms is one of the largest wine-growing cities in Germany.
You can't miss Martin Luther in the city centre. Alongside the Reformation memorial in Geneva, the Luther memorial in Worms is the largest in the world.
Despite the fact that the city suffered greatly during the Second World War, there are many unique places worth seeing. The “Holy Sand” is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe and is part of the serial UNESCO World Heritage Site SchUM along with Mainz and Speyer.
At the end of August, you can experience that the people of Worms know how to celebrate at the Backfischfest (website German only). The large wine and folk festival on the Festwiese on the Rhine is a cult event.
You can take a guided tour of Worms or discover it on your own “On foot through two millennia”.
Inner city map Worms - On foot through two millennia
On your way to Mainz
Worms is the southern tip of Rheinhessen, the largest wine-growing region in Germany with a good 270 square kilometers of cultivated land. On the way to Mainz, you will pass along the Rhine through Oppenheim and Nierstein, towns steeped in tradition in the region's wine industry.
Rheinhessen is slightly hilly, predestined for cycling and hiking through vineyards and tranquil, unagitated villages - always with the chance of a good glass of wine around the corner.
All roads will eventually lead you to Mainz, the state capital and an important part of the Rhine-Main metropolitan region.
Mainz is many things in one
Mainz is a big city with a great cultural and shopping offer and yet well accessable on foot.
Mainz is Gutenberg and Biontech - in other words, there has never been a lack of innovative spirit here. The city knows how to preserve its history and be open to new ideas.
And last not least, Mainz is the gateway to the romantic Middle Rhine Valley.
You can easily explore the cathedral, Old Town and Rhine on foot or take a guided tour of the city.
There is no shortage of museums in the city. The Carnival Museum (website German only) is a museum of a somewhat more unusual kind. Whether you generally avoid Mainz during the Carnival season - which is a real 5th season for Mainz - or visit it for that very reason is entirely up to you. However, you should have seen the nine-metre-high carnival fountain on Schillerplatz in the city centre.
Our tip: the Mainz market breakfast every Saturday from March to November (9 am to 3 pm).