Magdeburg Cathedral

Magdeburg was established as a trading post by Charlemagne in 805, but the city was made great by King Otto I, whose tomb is found in its weather-beaten Gothic Magdeburg Cathedral. Apparently the first of its kind on German soil when it was erected between 1209 and 1363, the twin-towered Dom features an impressive high-ceilinged interior and art spanning eight centuries.

Highlights include a pensive WWI memorial by Ernst Barlach and, through the doors beside it - push hard, the latch jams - the sculpture of the Magdeburger Virgins (dating from the 13th century and undergoing renovation).