Dom

Mainz' famed cathedral, entered from the Marktplatz, is one of Germany's most magnificent houses of worship. The focal point of the Altstadt, this richly detailed 'mountain' of reddish sandstone, topped by an octagonal tower, went through a literal 'baptism by fire' when the original burned down just one day before its consecration in 1066. Most of what you see today is quintessential 12th-century Romanesque.

Inside, a solemn ambience pervades the nave which, surprisingly, has a choir at each end. The grandiose, wall-mounted memorial tombstones form a veritable portrait gallery of archbishops and other 13th- to 18th-century power mongers, many portrayed alongside their private putti.

Off the late Gothic cloister, accessible from inside the Dom, is the Dom und Diözesanmuseum (Cathedral & Diocesan Museum). The Domschatz features bejewelled ritual objects from as far back as the 10th century and 15th- and 16th-century tapestries. Across the cloister, the Gewölbehallen has artwork from the cathedral.