Munich Stopover6 Frauenkirche - Cathedral of Our Dear Lady

1. Munich stopover 6

3. Munich (München) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria, on the banks of River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, and the 12th biggest city of the European Union, with a population of above 1.5 million. Frauenkirche - Cathetral of Our Dear Lady - is a landmark of Munich. The south tower of the cathedral can be climbed and offers a unique, wide view across the rooftops of Munich and on to the Alps. 

4. Frauenkirche - Cathetral of Our Dear Lady – was built in the late Gothic period 1468-88, the domes added 1525. Due to a shortage of funds, the initially planned spires which would top the twin towers were not built. In 1525, several decades after the church was completed it was decided to cover the towers with onion-shaped domes. The design of the octagonal domes - which would later be copied by many churches in Bavaria - was inspired by the Jerusalem Dome of the Rock

6. The church towers are widely visible because of local height limits. The brick-building is 109m long and 40m wide. Inside the windows with their stained glass images from the 14th-16th century, the tomb of Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian and the devil's footprint are worth seeing

7. The cathedral was erected in only 20 years' time by Jörg von Halsbach. For financial reasons and due to the lack of a nearby stone pit, brick was chosen as building material

9. The interior of the aisled Frauenkirche, with its 22 tall octagonal pillars arranged in two rows, was remodeled in Renaissance style in 1601 but reconverted to a Gothic design in 1858. Viewed from the porch the aisles and side windows are invisible, while the octagonal pillars of the nave have the appearance of a wall. At one time the window of the choir was also obscured by the high altar, and legend has it that the Devil, after inspecting the cathedral, was so delighted that the windows had been forgotten that he stamped his foot, leaving a print in the porch that can still be seen to this day.

10. The devil’s footprint inside its hallowed halls

11. A double-row of 22 pillars (22 metres) help enclose the space. These are voluminous, but appear quite slim due to their impressive height and the building's height-to-width ratio

13. The cross in the choir arch by Josef Henselmann (1898- 1987) from the 1950s

15. Detail of the choir stalls in the Frauenkirche

16. The church is the largest Gothic buildings in Munich and one of largest hall churches in southern Germany

21. The altars and the side altars, remodeled in the baroque style, are especially beautiful, as are the chapels which contain works by various artists, including van Dyck's "Christ on the Cross” 

22. Altar in Frauen- kirche, Munich

23. Altars in Frauenkirche, Munich

26. Given its important role as the main church of southern Bavaria, Munich's Frauenkirche has long been the final resting place of some of the region's most famous historic figures. While many of these tombs are to be found in the crypt, many of the best known are in the chapels in the main part of the cathedral. One of the most notable monuments in the church is the tomb of emperor Ludwig IV of Bavaria (1282 - 1347)

30. The Tomb of the Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian, Holy Roman Emperor (1282 – 1347), a free-standing monument erected in 1622 in black marble with magnificent bronze figures of Dukes Wilhelm IV and Albrecht V and, at the four corners, armor-clad standard-bearers made by Hubert Gerhard

33. Several of the Gothic stained-glass windows, some of them made for the previous church, are major attractions