Religious, Spiritual sights in Bavaria
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Frauenkirche
The landmark Frauenkirche is Munich's spiritual heart and the 'Mt Everest' among its churches. No other building in the central city may stand taller than its onion-domed twin towers which reach a lofty 99m. From April to October, you can enjoy panoramic city views from the south tower.
Bombed to bits in WWII, the reconstruction is a soaring passage of light but otherwise fairly spartan. Of note is the epic cenotaph (empty tomb) of Ludwig the Bavarian just past the entrance and the bronze plaques of Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II affixed to nearby pillars.
Churches come with legends, and the Frauenkirche has a particularly good one. As you enter the foy…
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Church of St Lawrence
Lorenzerplatz is dominated by the massive Lorenzkirche (Church of St Lawrence). Nuremberg's once-competing Catholics were split into factions north and south of the river; the latter made a statement with this massive 15th-century church crammed with artistic treasures. Highlights include the stained-glass windows and Veit Stoss' Engelsgruss (Annunciation).
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Käppele
In a prime location atop the Nikolausberg, the Käppele, built in 1752, is a triple onion-domed pilgrimage church designed by Neumann. The Stations of the Cross featuring life-size figures by Peter Wagner lead up to the church. The outside terrace is a great spot for photographs of the Marienberg and the city beyond.
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Neumünster
In the Altstadt, the satisfyingly symmetrical Neumünster stands on the site where the ill-fated missionaries met their maker. The baroque interior has busts of the three martyrs (the three Irish missionaries - Kilian, Colonan and Totnan) on the high altar and the tomb of St Kilian in the crypt.
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Church of Our Lady
The ornate Gothic Pfarrkirche Unsere Liebe Frau (1350-58), better known as the Frauenkirche, was built as a repository for the crown jewels of Charles IV who, fearing theft, sent them instead to Prague for safe keeping. Beneath the clock the seven electoral princes march around Charles IV every day at noon.
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St Stephanskirche
Much of Franconia is Protestant (whereas the rest of Bavaria is predominantly Catholic). Bamberg's main Protestant church, St Stephanskirche was consecrated in 1020 by Pope Benedikt VIII and turned baroque in the 17th century at the hands of Giovanni Bonalino and Antonio Petrini.
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Michaelskirche
It stands quiet and dignified amid the commercialism engulfing Kaufingerstrasse, but to fans of Ludwig II the Michaelskirche is the ultimate place of pilgrimage.
Its dank crypt is the final resting place of the 'Mad King' whose humble tomb is usually drowned in flowers.
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St Nikolai
St Nikolai was first built in 1315 in Gothic style only to go for baroque three centuries later. Outside the prim church ensemble of St Nikolai and Lorettokapelle, the covered walkway protects some pretty nifty 'Stations of the Cross' made of Nymphenburg porcelain.
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Erlöserkirche
The church with the bold clock face on the north side of the Münchner Freiheit U-Bahn station is the Erlöserkirche. Built at the turn of the 20th century, it's filled with Art Nouveau flourishes and a popular concert venue thanks to superior acoustics.
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Pfarrkirche St Anna im Lehel
The rather pompous neo-Romanesque Pfarrkirche St Anna im Lehel arrived on the scene in the 1890s after the Klosterkirche St Anna im Lehel had become too small. Conceived by Gabriel von Seidl, it's worth a spin for its huge altar and impressive nave paintings.
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St-Ulrich-Kirche
The St-Ulrich-Kirche was a preaching hall of the basilica's Benedictine abbey and has been a Lutheran church since 1524. Its peaceful coexistence with its Catholic neighbour has long symbolised Augsburg's religious tolerance.
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Schloss Blutenburg Church
Schloss Blutenburg Church is a rare Gothic jewel that wasn't drenched in baroque frilliness in the 17th century. The three altars by Jan Polack are outstanding examples of late-Gothic panel painting.
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Reichekapelle
Only open in the afternoon. This chapel was reserved for court residents in the reign of the Wittelsbachs - the Bavarian rulers who lived in the Residenz from 1385 to 1918s.
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Grosser Rathaus Saal
The Grosser Rathaus Saal has wonderful murals by local artist Ferdinand Wagner, showing scenes from Passau's history with a melodramatic flourish.
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Damenstiftskirche
More of the younger Asam's masterful frescoes can be viewed in the riotously baroque Damenstiftskirche just north of Sendlinger Strasse.
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Bürgersaalkirche
The early 18th-century Bürgersaalkirche contains the tomb of Rupert Mayer, a Jesuit priest and noted Nazi opponent who was beatified in 1987.
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