Frankfurt Cathedral

The Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus stands in the centre of Frankfurt am Main, a tall Gothic church built of red sandstone. It is the largest religious building in the city and was once the election and coronation church of the Holy Roman Empire. Though never an actual cathedral, it was called the Kaiserdom because of its imperial importance. The present church was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the site of an earlier Merovingian church. Beneath the cathedral lie the remains of the Frankfurt Königspfalz, a royal palace founded in the 9th century. The church has been a symbol of national unity since the 19th century. From 1356, emperors were elected here under the Golden Bull, and from 1562 to 1792 they were crowned in the crossing before the central altar. The Wahlkapelle, a chapel built in 1425, was used for the election ceremonies. The cathedral’s nine bells, cast in 1877, still strike the hours. After fires and wartime bombing, the interior was rebuilt in the 1950s. Inside, visitors find a wide nave with a crossing altar said to hold part of St. Bartholomew’s head. The choir holds the Wahlkapelle, its walls plain and unadorned. The tower rises 95 metres, and its bells weigh over 23 tonnes in total. The Domturm offers a view over the old town. Nearby, the Dommuseum displays church treasures. The cathedral choir school, founded in 2011, trains young singers for services and concerts.