Bischofshof

It was located next to the Worms Cathedral, on its northern side, on the current Schlossplatz (English: Palace Square)).

In the Middle Ages, the first palace was originally constructed as a Kaiserpfalz, a temporary seat of the Holy Roman Emperor.

It was elongated structure with side wings, featuring a central Avant-corps facing the palace square.

It is believed that Martin Luther (1483–1546) stood here before emperor Charles V (1500–1558), when he was summoned in order to renounce or reaffirm his views in response to a Papal bull of Pope Leo X.

At the end of the diet, the Emperor issued the Edict of Worms (Wormser Edikt), a decree which condemned Luther as "a notorious heretic" and banned citizens of the Empire from propagating his ideas.

[6] A large hall, extending over the first and second floors of the central Avant-corps and half the depth of the building, formed the centrepiece of the complex.

[8] The bishop's representative and living quarters were on the first floor, facing west, spanning the entire width of the building.

In 1791, the Bischofshof Palace temporarily served as a refuge for Louise Joseph, prince of Condé, (1736–1818) during his exile.

He retained the central area with the ruins of the bishop's court and sold the demolition material.

In 1867, on the occasion of Cornelius Wilhelm von Heyl zu Herrnsheim's marriage to Sophie Stein, daughter of a Cologne banker, it was modernized and expanded into a prestigious city palace, henceforth referred to as "Heyl-Schlösschen".

In the 1860s, the committee for the erection of a Luther Monument cast covetous eyes on the property, as it was considered an authentic site of the 1521 event.

[15] From 1881, Heyl, whose family had grown to five children, built a large new building on the northern edge of the area, the "Heylshof".