Worms, Germany

I went to Worms this morning... looking for a flea market, that will actually take place next Sunday. So, instead of browsing flea market stands, we explored the city streets.

^The entrance gate to Worms, a bridge over the Rhine. 

I've been wanting to go to Worms for awhile because there's a lot of Martin Luther history there. After nailing his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Luther was "invited" to Worms by the Pope. It was at the Diet of Worms that Luther was declared a heretic by Rome. Because he was declared a heretic, his life was in danger. After leaving Worms, he was kidnapped and taken to the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach for safe hiding (I got to go there in May!). It was at the Wartburg that Luther translated the Bible into German. 

 ^ One of the original entrances, Luther entered/exited the city through this gate. 

 ^Luther statue

 ^The Worms Cathedral, as we were walking through, Mass began. It was cool to hear the organ play and hear the choir sing. 

^"Here I can stand, I can do no other" This plaque is where the Imperial Palace once stood - it's where Luther was declared a heretic in 1521. The palace was destroyed in 1689. Today it's the Heylshofgarten.

Worms has the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe. There was no rhyme or reason as to how tombstones were placed in the cemetery. Many of the headstones are really old and you can barely see the inscription. Some of them are over 900 years old. Many of them had dates around WWII.

 ^People leave stones and prayers on various headstones. 

 ^ The Volcan Prayer hands... Apparently this symbol is for priestly families who can trace their ancestry to the Levites. 

^ The cow ... I think this symbol is for those who actually offered up a sacrificial cow.