Frauenkirche - Cathedral of Our Dear Lady

Northwest of Marienplatz, the Frauenkirche, the town’s landmark, is situated. The cathedral “Zu unserer lieben Frau” (To our lovely woman) as it is officially called, was built between 1468 and 1488 according to the plans of Jörg von Halspach. Despite Munich´s fast growth the church towers are still widely visible. Coming from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Starnberg on the motorway A 95 the two towers will be right ahead.

By the way the towers have different heights. The north tower is 98,57 meters and the south tower 98,45 meters high. The towers remained uncovered until 1525 when the helmed roofs were added. The south tower is open to those wishing to climb the stairs and offers a unique view of Munich and the nearby Alps.

Due to restoration works, both of the towers are probably closed until 2016

During the Second World War the cathedral suffered severe damage. The main restorations were carried out between 1946 and 1957. The inside of the cathedral was kept simple. The last stage of the restoration came to an end in 1994.

The legend of the Devil´s Footstep (Teufelstritt)

And then there is the legend of the Devil´s Footstep (Teufelstritt): The devil made a deal with the builder to finance the construction of the church on the condition that it will contain no windows. The clever builder, however, tricked the devil by positioning columns so that the windows were not visible from the spot where the devil stood in the foyer. When the devil discovered that he had been tricked, he could only stand in the foyer and stomp his foot furiously, which left the dark footprint that remains visible in the church´s entrance today.

When standing at this point in the cathedral today one can see the window behind the high altar. When the church was built there was a high altar with a painting behind it which covered the entire window when standing underneath the organ.

External walls and church bells

On the outer walls of the Frauenkirche are many gravestones. Some of them are expensively decorated. Each of them has its own story that can be learned during one of the many guided city tours.

The ten church bells of the Frauenkirche are very special and one of the most precious historic chimes in Germany. An extensive bell order makes it possible that on religious festivals the church bells will chime differently. Even church bell concerts are held regularly.

Here you can get a foretaste of how the church bells of the Frauenkirche are sounding

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