Frauenkirche –Munich

The Frauenkirche, also known as Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau is the city Cathedral. The church wanted by Sigismund of Bavaria lies on the ruins of an ancient Roman basilica, and was built between 1468 and 1488.
Made of bricks, it represents one of the hugest buildings of the city, towering the landscape with its twin bell-towers and the brass cupolas almost 100 metres high (about 325 feet). The two towers apparently look of the same height, but actually one is slightly higher. As opposed to the majority of buildings of the old town, the towers of the Frauenkirche remained untouched during the war, while the church was severely damaged by the bombings, but in the successive years restoration works started, which terminated in year 1994.
The church inside hosts various important elements, as the sarcophagus of the Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian, which is surrounded by 4 statues of knights, symbolizing war and peace. But what strikes visitors the most is the so called teufelstritt (Devils’ footprint): legend has it that the Devil entered the church to ridicule it, since there were no windows. In fact, if you look toward the altar, the columns of the nave completely hide the view of the windows. According to another legend, the constructors of the church bet with the devil that they could build a church without windows. The devil went to check, and the constructors took him on the point of the nave where the windows are not visible, since they are hidden by the columns. The devil realized the deceit, but it was too late, since the church had already been consecrated.