Worms (*Furopäischer Hof, at the station, with restaurant, R. 2-2 ½, B. 1 .#, D. 2 # 50 pf.; *Alter Kaiser, Andreas-Str., near the cathedral; *Hôtel Hartmann, Kämmerer-Str, ; these of the first class. Bellevue, opposite Luther's Monument; Rheinischer Hof, on the river, ¾ M. from the town; Railway Restaurant; Worret's restaurant), one of the most ancient, and in the middle ages most important, towns in Germany, lies in the rich plain of the Wonnegau, ¾ M. from the Rhine. It contains 15,000 inhab. (9000 Protestants, 5000 Roman Catholics, and 1000 Jews), whose chief occupation is the culture of the vine (pp. 218, 219), but who of late years have also established a number of leather and other manufactories.

Worms is the Civitas Vangionum of the Romans, which, after the period of the migrations of the barbarian hordes, became the capital of the kingdom of the Burgundians, who had descended from the Baltic Sea (431). The Franconian kings, and afterwards Charlemagne and his successors, frequently resided at Worms. The war against the Saxons was planned here in 772. and here the great contest concerning the investiture of the bishops with ring and staff was adjusted by the Concordat between the Emp. Henry V. and Pope Calixtus II) As a free city of the Empire

Worms, in the disputes between the emperors and the princes, always espoused the cause of the former, and was specially faithful to the unfortunate Henry IV. Its fidelity was rewarded by the grant of various privileges, chiefly of a commercial character. The union between Worms and Mayence was the foundation of the Confederation of Rhenish Towns. At Worms, in April 1521, was held the Imperial Diet, at which Luther defended his doctrines before the Emperor Charles V.. six Electors, and a large and august assemblage, concluding with the words: ‘Here I stand, I cannot act otherwise, God help me! Amen.’

In the time of Frederick Barbarossa the town contained 70.000 inh., but at the beginning of the 17th cent. the number had dwindled to 40.000. The Thirty Years’ War proved very disastrous to Worms. which was repeatedly occupied and laid under contribution by Mansfeld and Tilly, the Spaniards. and the Swedes. In 1689 the town was treated with savage cruelty by Mélac and the young Duc de Créqui. After having been pillaged, it was set on fire, and, with the exception of the cathedral and

synagogue, soon became one smouldering heap of ruins. The town retained its independence down to the Peace of Luneville in 1801, and after the short-lived French supremacy was annexed to Hessen-Darmstadt in i815, when its inhabitants numbered about 5000.

Proceeding straight from the railway-station by the Carmeliter-Strasse, flanked by new houses with gardens, we reach the Luther-Platz, situated at the entrance to the town, and occupying the place of the former ramparts. It is embellished with *Luther’s Monument, designed by Rietschel, partially modelled by him, and completed after his death by Kiets and Dondorf of Dresden (erected in 1868).

This imposing memorial of the great Reformer of Germany, the execution of which occupied nine years and cost about 17,000l., merits examination. A massive platform, 16 yds. square and 9 ½ ft. high. Bears in its centre a large pedestal, surrounded by seven smaller ones. The central base or pedestal is surmounted by another pedestal in bronze, adorned with reliefs from Luther's life, and medallion portraits of his contemporaries who contributed to the Reformation. On it stands Luther's *Statue in bronze, 11 ft. in height, a commanding figure. In his left hand

he holds a Bible, on which his right hand is placed emphatically; while his face, on which faith is admirably pourtrayed, is turned upwards. He is surrounded by a row of bold spirits. who before, or along with him had fought the last struggle for the freedom of the Reformation, or were privileged to promote it in various positions of life.” At the corners of fhe chief pedestal, in a sitting posture, are four precursors of the Reformation: in front, r. *Huss (d. 1415), 1. *Savonarola (d. 1498)5 at the back, r. Wickliffe (d. 1387, 1. Petrus Waldus (d. 1197). On the side-pedestals in front are Philip the Generous of Hessen on the right, and Frederick the Wise of Saxony on the left; at the back Melanchthon on the right, and

Reuchlin on the left (each 9 ft. in height). Between these, on lower pedestals, are allegorical figures of the towns of (r.) *Magdeburg (mourning), (l.) Augsburg (making confession), and (at the back) Speyer (protesting). Between these figures are the arms of the 24 towns of Germany which first embraced the reformed faith.

The monument is surrounded with tasteful pleasure-grounds.

A little to the S. of the Luther-Platz is the Schloss-PLatz, on the N. side of the cathedral, the site of the Bischofshof, or episcopal palace, in which Luther made his defence in 1521. The building was destroyed by the French in 1689, and again in 1794. On its massive substructure the handsome Heil’sche Haus has been erected in the late Renaissance style. Heil’s Garden, a pleasant resort, is open from 11 to 5.

The Cathedral is a building of very ancient origin, but nothing now remains of the original structure. The W. towers, the oldest part of the present building, date from the beginning of the 12th cent., having been consecrated in 1110. The remainder of the building was consecrated in 1181. The S. portal, richly adorned with sculptures of scriptural subjects and allegorical figures of the Church and the Synagogue, dates from the 14th century. With its four elegant towers (the one at the N.E. angle restored in 1472), two domes, and double choir, the Cathedral ranks, like those of Speyer and Mayence, among the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Germany. The exterior in particular is strikingly effective.

The *Interior (Entrance on the S. side; fee to the sacristan, for whom a boy may be sent, 50 pf.). 141 yds. long, 29 yds. wide, across transept 40 yds. wide, nave 105 ft. high, has been recently restored. The tawdry decoration of the E. choir with marble and gilding dates from the 18th century. The Sculptures representing Daniel in the lions’ den, in the first S. chapel on the right, and the Tombstone of the three Franconian Princesses of the 14th cent., now in the N. aisle, are interesting.

The Baptistery, on the left side of the S. Portal, contains some large stone *High-Reliefs, dating from 1487 and 1488. admirably executed, and in excellent preservation. They were presented by noble families of Worms and placed in the old cloisters of 1484, but on the demolition of the latter in 1813 were removed to their present position; they represent the Annunciation, Descent from the Cross, Resurrection, Nativity, and Genealogy of Christ. Here, too, is the Tombstone of the knight Eberhard von Heppenheim (d. 1559), a well-executed kneeling figure in armour. The font is from the ancient chapel of St. John, which was taken down in 1807. The paintings of the two patron saints of the church, St. Peter und §t. Paul, with other saints on the back, alone escaped the French conflagration.

It may interest those versed in German lore to know that the space in front of the cathedral was the scene of the quarrel between Brunhilde and Chriemhilde, recorded in the 14th Adventure of the Nibelungenlied. A little to the S., in the Andreas-Platz, is the late Romanesque Andreaskirche, near which is the Luginsland, a watch-tower of the 13th century. The vicinity of the Luginsland and the ‘Catterloch’, to the S. of the Speyerer Thor, yield a highly esteemed wine.

The roads to the W. lead from the cathedral to the MARKET-Place, which contains the Dreifultigkeitskirche, or church of the Trinity. The streets leading out of the market-place, the Kammerer-Strasse on the N., and the Speyerer-Strasse on the S., intersect the whole town from the Mainzer to the Speyerer Thor.

Near the Mainzer Thor, in the Judengasse, which diverges to the right of the Kammerer-Strasse, is situated the Synagogue, an insignificant building dating from the 11th cent., but completely remodelled in the 13th cent. and now quite modernised. The Jewish community of Worms is one of the oldest in Germany.

In the Mainzer suburb, which was destroyed by the Swedes and French, the late Gothic *Liebfrauenkirche (Church of our Lady), ½ M. from the Mainzer Thor, alone escaped. The church, which has been lately restored, is in the shape of a cruciform basilica, with a triforium and two W. towers. It replaces an older edifice, and was consecrated in 1467; the keystone of the vaulted roof bears the arms of the different corporations of Worms who caused it to be built. The only object of interest in the interior is a curious old painted sculpture of the Entombment, with life-size figures, to the right of the principal entrance. The stained glass is modern. The W. Portal is enriched with sculpture. The wine called Liebfrauenmilch (see Introd.) is yielded by vineyards near the church. — To regain the station (½ M.) we turn to the right (W.) in front of the door.

The Rhine anciently flowed round a meadow known as the Rosengarten, on the right bank of the river, opposite Worms (now the terminus of the Darmstadt railway, p. 197). To this spot attach many ancient traditions, preserved in the Nibelungen and other heroic poems. Worms is, indeed, the centre of these romantic legends.

Three miles to the N.W. of Worms lies Hernsheim, with the chateau of the Dalbergs, one of the most ancient and illustrious families in Germany.