Altportal
by iandsmith
There are remnants of history here and, along with the Dom, this tower dominates the town. It didn't always dominate. In the days of defensive walls it was merely one of 62 but, where others were destroyed or merely wilted away, this one grew.
It started out, somewhat surprisingly to me, over 200 years after the Dom, but it was in the 16th and early 18th centuries that it grew to its present magnificence.
You can clearly see (pic 5) the differing brickwork and layer was piled upon layer till it became what it is.
Other people have found uses for it also. Beggars (pic 4), for instance, know it gives shelter and is a place many people pass on their way to Maxmillianstrasse.
Domegarten and the Rhine
by Sjalen
Walking in the cathedral gardens and down to the Rhine gives you nice photographic opportunities as well as being fun for families with playgrounds, minigolf and so on, not to mention the pubs down by the river where you can study traffic on the Rhine from the terraces in summer. The Domgarten is also where you find this surviving part of the old city wall.
Saint Nikolaus
by iandsmith
At Sonnenbrucke there is a sculpture that you can't miss because it sits right on the bridge. It is of Saint Nikolaus (you may have heard of him) and is dedicated to the patron saint of the fishermen and day labourers, who lived in the Hasenpfuhl, and is a reminder of the historical significance of the mediaevel "Nikolausviertel" quarter.
It also marks the daily route taken by the philosopher and Carmelite, Edith Stein, who was blessed by the Pope, John Paul II, in 1987. She used this route over this very bridge for nine years on her way to the cloister of St. Magdalen.
Ths sculpture is by Wolf Spitzer.
I was quite surprised when I checked that I had actually taken 5 shots of the statue, though they're from such different angles that you might find it hard to believe.
A Once in a Life Time - well perhaps
by scottishvisitor
We were very lucky to be visiting Speyer on the same day as many important Catholics. Cardinal Friedrich Wetter was in Seyer Cathedral along with two thousand invited guests to celebrate the Beatification of Paul Josef Nardini (1821 - 1862) on Sunday the 22nd. October 2006 in Speyer Cathedral. Father Paul Josef Nardini was a Priest in the Diocese of Speyer, he founded the order of Mallersdorfer Sisters who's motto is "Cartis Christi urget nos" = "The love of Christ pushes us" the Priest and the Sisters did great works for the poor in the growing industrial times in Pirmasens. Only invited guest were allowed into the Cathedral but we stopped to watch some of the ceremony on the Video Screens in the dom plaz. Later on, when the technicians were removing some equipment, the Cathedral was open to the public and we got a glimpse of the beautiful relic dedicated to Paul Josef Nardini. Maybe in the future the Priest's entry to Sainthood will appear in a local customs tip in VT.
Bronze age and Celts in the Palatine
by Trekki
One of the most amazing exhibits in Speyer’s museum are shown in the exhibition “Prehistory of Palatine”, where artefacts of the last 1500 years before Christ are shown. Among them is the Golden Hat of Schifferstadt, which is dated as far back as 1300 B.C. I saw the photos before I went to see it in reality and was astonished how small it is, only about 30 cm high. But what a work, given its date !! It is a ceremonial hat, worn by priests of most probably the Sun cult. It is made of thin gold plate and has embossings, which are believed to show a lunisolar calendar.
Another old and very delicate work are the bronze wheels, found in Haßloch (a small village in Palatine). Belief is that they have been manufactured in southern France around 9th century B.C. and were used as wheels for a ceremonial wagon.
In total, this prehistory exhibition has more than 1500 pieces of work, also bracelets and other jewellery and instruments.
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Historisches Museum der Pfalz
Chickens on the spit
Speyer, Bauernmarkt impressions (2007)
Speyer, Cathedral, detail of the southern door
