Cathedrals of Germany

St. Peter's Cathedral in Regensburg is one of the most important Gothic buildings of Southern Germany. It is mainly characterized by the two twin towers that dominate the silhouette of the city. Regensburg Cathedral is home to the famous Regensburger Domspatzen, a boys' choir whose history dates back more than 1000 years.

St. Peter's Cathedral in Trier is the oldest episcopal church in Germany and an important religious building of Western architecture, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. Trier Cathedral stands on the remains of a representative Roman residence, built around the year 340.

Lüneburg's St. John's Church is one of the oldest brick buildings of the city and the whole German federal state of Lower Saxony. The young composer Johann Sebastian Bach learned organ playing and composing here from his uncle Georg Böhm, who worked as a cantor and composer in the church from 1698 to 1733 . St. John's Church in Lüneburg served as a model for many churches in Northern Germany.

Magdeburg Cathedral St. Maurice and Catherine is the oldest Gothic cathedral completed on German soil and the symbol of the city of Magdeburg. It was built in 1207 as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg. Magdeburg Cathedral is the burial church of Otto the Great (Otto I), first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Besides Münster's historic town hall, St. Paul's Cathedral is the second landmark of the Westphalian metropolis and one of the city's most impressive buildings. The present Münster Cathedral is already the third cathedral of the Münster diocese and was built in the period between 1225 and 1264.

Aachen Cathedral, also known as the Marienkirche of Aachen, is the landmark of the city and consists of several sub-buildings that were constructed from the early Middle Ages to modern times. Laying of the foundation stone occurred around 795, completion around 803 under Charlemagne. The Palatine Chapel is the most important architectural example of the Carolingian Renaissance.

The St. Martin's Basilica, also known as Bonn Minster or Bonner Münster, is the main Catholic church in Bonn and a city landmark. It was built in the 11th century as a Romanesque collegiate church of St. Cassius and Florencius. Around 1050 the old collegiate church was demolished and a new building in Romanesque style was constructed. With three naves the Bonn Cathedral was one of the first large churches in the Rhineland.

The High Cathedral of St. Martin in Mainz is one of the imperial cathedrals and has Romanesque as well as Gothic and Baroque elements. The cathedral was probably started in the late 10th century as a representative building, which is why the construction of the cathedral is inspired by the old Church of St. Peter in Rome. Mainz Cathedral has one of the richest church furnishings in Christendom.

Already from afar, the visitor can see the imposing tower of the Church of St. Martin of Landshut. This is not surprising since it is the highest brick tower in the world. The interior of the Church of St. Martin of Landshut rises above visitors by almost 30 meters. It is probably one of the most impressive testimonies to Gothic architecture.

St. Peter's Cathedral in Bremen is an impressive building on Bremen's market square. For more than 1200 years, there has been a church in this place. The first wooden cathedral was built in 789 by the Saxon bishop Willehad and replaced by a stone building around 805. After several destructions and reconstructions, the three-nave basilica was built in the 11th century, which provided the basic structure of today's Bremen Cathedral.

Its distinctive green dome can be seen from afar and rises above the northern shore of the Museum Island in central Berlin. With a floor space of about 73 by 93 meters, Berlin Cathedral is the largest Protestant church in Germany in terms of area. All in all, the listed cathedral contains a sermon church as well as a baptismal and wedding church, a chapel, the crypt of the Prussian and imperial Hohenzollern dynasty, and several meeting rooms.

St. Peter's Cathedral in Worms was built from 1130 to 1181 and is one of the most important buildings of the Romanesque style in Germany. Worms Cathedral has been the scene of important historical events such as the appointment of Pope Leo IX in 1048, the Concordat of Worms in 1122, which ended the investiture dispute, and the Diet of Worms in 1521, during which Martin Luther had to justify himself to Emperor Charles V.

Limburg Cathedral rests majestically above the historic city center on the banks of the Lahn River and exudes Rhenish romanticism at sunset. Limburg Cathedral was opened in 1235 and has since provided not only an exceptionally beautiful facade, but also an equally majestic interior.

The Church of Our Lady ("Frauenkirche") in Dresden was originally completed in 1743 and was the leading figure of the Baroque style in the region, until it was burned down on the night of February 15, 1945, after several air raids in the final months of World War II. From then on, the remnant of the church was left as a memorial against the war. Only in 1994 did the reconstruction of the sacred architecture begin. In 2005, the reconstruction of the Dresdner Frauenkirche was completed.

The Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Stephen in Speyer is the largest surviving Romanesque church in the world and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Speyer Cathedral was probably begun around the year 1025 by the king and later emperor Conrad II with the aim of building the largest church in the West.

The High Cathedral of St. Peter in Cologne is probably the most famous church in Germany and also the most visited attraction in the country. Cologne Cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 and is one of the largest churches in the Gothic style. Impressive is the long construction period of the cathedral: after construction began in the 13th century, building activity extended over centuries until Cologne Cathedral ("Kölner Dom") was finally completed in 1880.