Speyer in Germany was the hometown of one of the most important Jewish communities in Middle Ages in northern Europe. Bishop Hutzmann and Salic emperor Henry IV encouraged Jewish refugees from Mainz to the foundation of a Jewish community by facilitating them.(see:History of the Jews in Speyer) This community existed until the beginning of the 16th century. The exact time and circumstances of the destruction are unknown. The Jewish courtyard was the central area of the Jewish quarter in Speyer and consisted of the synagogues for men and women as well as the Mikvah, for ritual washing.