Speyer ()
About 45 minutes from the KMC area is the historically notable city of Speyer. Speyer began as a Roman military and trading town around 100 BCE and was destroyed and rebuilt in the medieval era. In the modern era, Speyer is home to plenty of retail, food, historical and tourist destinations that are sure to delight people of all ages.
For those who love science and technology, the Technik Museum Speyer should be your first stop. Here you can walk around the largest space exhibition in Europe, look at vintage cars and every era’s iteration of the fire engine, or any type of vehicle for that matter. You can see an original moonstone, cozy up in their IMAX theatre showings on a drizzly day, and attend one of their many exhibitions, lectures or themed days that cater to STEM and science fiction alike. There is a restaurant onsite if you get hungry after seeing so much. If you want more on the fascinating preserved history of transportation, you can drive thirty minutes down the road to their joint Technik Museum in Sinsheim where you can see hundreds of vintage cars, Formula One vehicles, locomotives and a huge military history exhibition.
For those looking to get some shopping in, the Postgalerie contains over a dozen shops and a hotel so you can drop off your shopping bags in the rooms. You will want your arms free to go and explore the viewing and shopping opportunities of Maximillianstrasse (only a 400 short meters away).
Maximillianstrasse is filled with recently renovated, beautiful Baroque architecture that is flagged by the imperial cathedral and the Altpörtel city gate tower. It is also one of the most frequented shopping areas of Speyer and contains several big chain stores as well as one of the oldest pharmacies in Germany.
For more indoor family fun, Sea Life Speyer has all you need for sea creature-loving members of your home. Sea life has eleven different stations where you can learn about coral, the Amazon and lake living, as well as containing a touch basin, tropical tunnel and a shipwreck area. (At the time of writing, you can only be guaranteed entrance by purchasing your tickets online in advance).
For the history buffs in your bunch, the Medieval Jewish Courts and the Historical Museum of the Palatinate Speyer will be where you want to go. During the medieval era, “one of the most important Jewish communities” north of the Alps, lived in Speyer. Today, you can visit the Courts, which are the remains of a synagogue and bath, that tell the stories of 1,000 years of Jewish history in Speyer.
The Historical Museum of the Palatinate Speyer contains several exhibits, such as the Wine Museum where visitors can learn about 2000 years of wine culture and Luther, the exhibit about the Evangelical church of the Palatinate over the past 500 years. There is also a constantly shifting list of special exhibitions so patrons can see something new every time they visit. Until April 2023, visitors can enjoy exhibits about the Hapsburg empire in the Middle Ages and book lovers old and young will appreciate the return of the Gruffalo until June 2023.
No matter if you love technology, history, architecture or shopping, Speyer has something for you.
