A block south of the Rathaus, the ‘Jews’ Courtyard’ is one of the most important medieval Jewish sites in Germany: the remains of a Romanesque-style synagogue that was consecrated in 1104 and used until 1450. Highlights include the 13th-century women’s section, a Mikwe (ritual bath) from the early 1100s – the oldest, largest and best preserved north of the Alps – and a small museum covering the city’s storied medieval Jewish community. Signs are in English and German.
A curious fact: everyone with the surname of Shapira (or Shapiro) is descended from Jews who lived in Speyer during the Middle Ages.
