Speyer, Germany

Speyer was founded on a bank of the Rhine in the form of a Roman fort in 10 BC. It has about 50,000 people. The big moment in town history came in 1529, when "The Protestation at Speyer" took place. That was right in the middle of the time when everyone seemed to be trying to figure out what to do with the complaints of Martin Luther, who had stirred things up with his long list. The Protestants at this big religious meeting wrote a formal letter of complaint that was published but not read. The event is considered a major step in the birth of Protestantism. 

That's old and complicated, so let's learn about something simple and functional in Speyer: The Old Gate. That's the photo posted here.  It is located at the end of the town's main street, straight down the road from the cathedral. It was built around 1240 after the old gate was ruined as part of a wall system surrounding the town. The French came close to destroying in 1689, but were talked out of it by the locals.