Religious, Spiritual sights in Germany
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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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Münster
Freiburg's 11th-century Münster is the monster of all minsters, a red-sandstone giant that looms above the half-timbered façades framing the square. Its riot of punctured spires and gargoyles flush scarlet in the dusk light.
The main portal is adorned with sculptures depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments - spy allegorical figures such as Voluptuousness (the one with snakes on her back) and Satan himself. Nearby are medieval wall markings used to ensure that merchandise (eg loaves of bread) were of the requisite size.
Square at the base, the sturdy tower becomes an octagon higher up and is crowned by a filigreed 116m-high spire. Ascend the tower for an excellen…
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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 pr…
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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).
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Priesterhäuser Zwickau
Next to the Dom, the Priesterhäuser Zwickau gives you a close-up look at medieval living conditions. This ensemble of pint-sized cottages was built between the 13th and 15th centuries, and ranks among the country's oldest surviving residential buildings. Church employees lived here as late as the 19th century. Imagine the people who've come before you as you climb up the creaky stairs, duck into small chambers or inspect the soot-stained kitchen. A modern annex has changing exhibits about the town history.
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Dom St Petri
North of the Hauptmarkt is the Fleischmarkt, the old meat market, dominated by the Dom St Petri. This is the only Simultankirche in eastern Germany, meaning it serves both Catholics and Protestants. When the Reformation reached Bautzen in 1524, both congregations agreed to share the church, with the Protestants holding services in the nave and the Catholics in the choir. There's a waist-high iron grating separating the two - although it was 4m high until 1952!
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Wittenberg English Ministry
From May to October, a changing roster of Lutheran guest preachers, usually from the US, holds free English-language services in Wittenberg's historic sites. Organised by the Wittenberg English Ministry, these are held at 5pm on Saturday in the Schlosskirche or the Stadtkirche. From Wednesday to Friday, half-hour services are also offered at 4.30pm in the tiny Fronleichnamskapelle (Corpus Christi Chapel) attached to the Stadtkirche.
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Kloster Wiblingen
This one-time Benedictine monastery was founded in 1093 and rebuilt in the baroque style in the 1700s. Highlights of a visit include the splendid Bibliothekssaal (library hall), a rococo masterpiece in pink and green (in 1757 the monastery was in possession of 15,000 volumes, a huge number for the time). The late baroque/early classical Klosterkirche (Monastery Church) and a museum opened in 2006. An audioguide is available.
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Andreaskirche
The art-loving elector, Jan Wellem lies buried in the early baroque Andreaskirche, which is drenched in fanciful white stucco. Six baroque saint-sculptures from the original altar were recently integrated into the sanctuary. More church art awaits in the new treasury in the upstairs gallery. A great time to visit is for the free organ concert at 4.30pm on Sundays.
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Dom
The Dom was founded in 1173 by Heinrich der Löwe when he took over Lübeck. Locals like to joke that if you approach the Dom from the northeast, you have to go through Hölle (hell) and Fegefeuer (purgatory) - the actual names of streets - to see Paradies, the lavish vestibule to the Dom. Otherwise, the building is quite spartan.
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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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Jesuit Church
The Jesuitenkirche claims to be the largest in Mannheim and the finest Baroque church in SW Germany. Mozart lived in Mannheim for a year and praised its acoustics and atmosphere. A sumptuously ornate building, glowing with gold leaf, it was built between 1733 and 1760. Like the rest of the city, it suffered damage during WWII but has been fully restored.
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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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Heiliggeistkirche
The Heiliggeistkirche on the old market square, is a superb old Gothic church (1398-1441). From 1706 to 1936 there was a wall between the part used by Protestants and that used by Catholics; today, it's a Protestant place of worship. You can climb the 204 steps to the top of the church spire.
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St Michaeliskirche
The St Michaeliskirche, or 'Der Michel' as it's commonly called, is one of Hamburg's most recognisable landmarks and northern Germany's largest Protestant baroque church. Ascending the tower's steps (or catching the lift) rewards with great panoramas across the canals.
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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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Domschatz- Kammer
Cologne is justifiably proud of its Domschatz- kammer, whose reliquaries, robes, sculptures and liturgical objects are handsomely presented in medieval vaulted rooms. Standouts include a Gothic bishop's staff from 1322 and a 15th-century sword.
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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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Dom
A block east of the Hauptmarkt looms the fortresslike Dom, built above the palace of Constantine the Great's mother, Helena. The present structure is mostly Romanesque with some soaring Gothic and eye-popping baroque embellishments.
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Marienkirche
Near the Markt rise the 125m twin spires of Germany's third-largest church, the Marienkirche. It's most famous for its shattered bells, which have been left where they fell after a WWII bombing raid, as a peace memorial.
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