Day 10 Worms and Frankenstein

The site at Bad Durkheim was really attractive. It is arranged on a central spine with offshoots on either side with room for 6 caravans. Each offshoot is named after something to do with wine. We were next to the lake in Ortega.  Ortega is a grape variety used for white wine; it is named in honour of the Spanish poet and philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset. 

September is the time for the ‘Wurstfest’ in Bad Durkheim. Oddly enough there is no real sign of Wurst, or sausage or any kind, but plenty of sign of wine.  We naturally had to purchase a few bottles (Portugieser, and Spatburgunder) tocontribute to its success.  There was a very big fair in town but unfortunately the weather on some days was not ideal for going to the fair.

Near Bad Durkheim is the unlikely village of Frankenstein which has nothing much in it apart from a very solid German railway station and a memorial to those killed in the war.

Worms on the other hand is one of the oldest cities in Germany and for a time hosted the parliament during the Middle Ages. It is famous for being the inspiration for Richard Wagner's Opera "Der Ring Des Nibelungen.’ And for ‘The Diet of Worms’

The Dom St Peter is one of the largest late-romanesque cathedrals in Germany. It was built between 1171-1230. Particularly memorable here were the five stone reliefs from the gothic cloister that no longer exists.

Dom St Peter,Worms

This magnificent church has four round towers, two large domes, and a choir at each end. The exterior is imposing; the impression produced by the interior is one of great dignity and simplicity which is heightened by the natural color of the red sandstone which it is built.
The church's original windows were destroyed by bombing in 1943.
The cathedral is 110 m long, and 27m wide and 36 m including the transept. The height in the nave is 26 m; under the domes it is 40 m.

In 1521 Luther was summoned to Worms by Charles V to a conference to explain himself.. At this ‘Diet of Worms’ he refused to retract his beliefs and was banished to the outer parts of the Empire. He took refuge in Wartburg Castle in Eisenach where he translated the bible into German. Luther’s basic position was that ‘we cannot earn forgiveness for our sins through our deeds, only God’s mercy justifies us.’ This idea led him into conflict with the Church – indulgences, acts of atonement, confession, the role of priests as mediators etc. He nailed his 95 Theses to the doors of Wittemberg Cathedral and thus set the stage for the Reformation and the Thirty Years War.