Stadtmodell (The Historic City Model)
Before the Great Fire
One’s picture of the city of Speyer is characterized by its reconstruction after the devastating fire of 1689. At that time, Louis XIV of France was planning to incorporate into his dominion the homeland of his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. When the Palatines fought back, French soldiers ravaged the Palatinate’s most important locations, including Speyer. Although the population was warned and was able to evacuate, the city itself fell victim almost completely to the flames.
Time Travel into the Middle Ages.
The historic city model shows the city of Speyer before the devastating fire of 1689. Individual homes, churches, alleys and squares, its city wall and its guard towers were reproduced in great detail on a scale of 1:1000 by Speyer’s master wood carver, Henry Scherpf in 1886. The wooden model affords a unique look back to the time before the fire and shows the Speyer of the Middle Ages which, with its few thousand residents was already at that time a pretty impressive little place.
New Technology Carries Beyond the Wooden Model
The historic model of the city now offers visitors a multimedia discovery tour of Speyer from Roman times to the present day. The history of the city is entertainingly described and our visitors can bring up more detailed information in the form of pictures, sound and text, should they wish to probe more deeply into particular elements. Layouts of streets and buildings from the 11th century on are projected onto the model of the city. Camera tracking shots through the miniaturized version of Speyer offer fascinating and unaccustomed perspectives. At street crossings, you can decide yourself which way to turn. A spot of light on the wooden model tracks the movement of the camera.
History of the City
Not only are streets and buildings covered but important historical events as well. Short multimedia presentations show stories from Roman days to the reconstruction of the city in the 18th century, all in the words of some famous sons and daughters of Speyer themselves. A visual walk through the city in 3D, historic views and the most significant places of interest make the city model an ideal starting point for anyone who wants to experience the city of Speyer in more detail.
Free Admission
In 2007, the voters of Speyer initiated a new visitor-friendly approach to the model. The goal of this proposal was to make barrier- and cost-free access to the city model possible. The city of Speyer, our museum, and the Tourism Board agreed to the change and the model was moved from its old location in the Cathedral Treasure exhibition to its new location in the covered courtyard (“Forum”) of the Museum, access to which is free of charge.
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