Worms is an old German city just about 10 miles up the Rhine north of Mannheim. It is famous for the trial of Martin Luther, its cathedral and the Nibelungenlied. The Nibelungenlied you may recall is the basis of the four part operatic series, The Ring of the Nibelung, by Richard Wagner. Think Prelude to the 3rd act of Lohengrin and Ride of the Valkyries or the Lone Ranger and Apocalypse Now. The original saga was inspired by a war which combined Roman forces with those of Attila the Hun against king Gunther of Worms. There is a museum devoted to the Nibelungenlied and several more museums containing relics from the Roman era and some even before that. The Worms Cathedral is dedicated to St. Peter and is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Germany. Parts of it go back to the 10th century, others to the 11th and 13th but it underwent renovation up until WWII. Did we mention that the Liebfraumilch wine originated in Worms too.
The Turnfest has days that contain events of little interest to our group and that leaves us free to visit neighboring areas. The area transportation pass allows us free rides on all local buses, trolleys, subways and trains and is very convenient. The pass is good for the duration of the Turnfest and we do have to use it to go to some of the other official events.
Thanks to Frank Wedl for all the photos of Worms and a major portion of all the others in this Turnfest section.