Speyer (German: [ˈʃpaɪɐ] ⓘ, older spelling Speier; Palatine German: Schbaija; French: Spire), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants.

Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer lies 25 km (16 miles) south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim, and 21 km (13 miles) south-west of Heidelberg.

In the cathedral, beneath the high altar, are the tombs of eight Holy Roman Emperors and German kings.

One of the ShUM-cities which formed the cultural center of Jewish life in Europe during the Medieval / Middle Ages, Speyer and its Jewish courtyard was inscribed on the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List in 2021.

[3] The first known names were Noviomagus and Civitas Nemetum, after the Teutonic tribe, Nemetes, settled in the area.