Halberstädter Dom

Visible from afar, a majestic and magnificently decorated building towers over the face of Halberstadt - St. Stephen's Cathedral. This magnificent historical building looks back on centuries of history and is considered a showpiece of French Gothic architecture. Framed by ornamented façades and 290 richly coloured stained glass windows, the cathedral is probably Halberstadt's most important landmark. The photogenic building has survived the centuries and its unique interior and exterior inspire not only visitors from the region.

The construction of the historic cathedral

The towers, which are over 91 metres high, still dominate Halberstadt's cityscape. Yet the cathedral is over 700 years old: between the middle of the 13th and the end of the 15th century, the architectural mammoth project claimed the attention of its builders. Smaller stone churches were already standing in the region when Halberstadt was made a bishopric in the 9th century. Around 859, a Carolingian basilica was built on site, which was rebuilt into an independent cathedral after collapsing under Otto III. This existed until, in the 13th century, instead of rebuilding, it was decided to build a newer Gothic structure, which gave rise to today's Cathedral of St. Stephen and St. Sixtus in Halberstadt.

The construction period was between 1239 and 1491, i.e. more than 250 years. Work began around 1239 on the west façade, which still bore traits of late Romanesque building techniques and transitioned to early Gothic. The historic cloister, the refectory and the treasury were also built at the same time. The nave was the first fully Gothic façade to be built from 1260 onwards. Between 1354 and 1362, the Lady Chapel to the east was to follow. The transverse and nave buildings were the structural finale between 1437 and 1458. The official consecration of the magnificent Gothic building took place in 1491.

A gem of Gothic architecture

Halberstadt Cathedral is also considered an example of French Gothic architecture because its building structure and cruciform design were inspired by French models. The High Gothic aspects, for example, are reminiscent of Reims Cathedral, whose influential architectural roots go back to the 5th century. For this reason, Halberstadt Cathedral is regarded as a showpiece of French Gothic architecture in today's Germany.

It is worth taking a look at the magnificently decorated interior. 290 colourfully designed and ornamented windows such as the St. John's window meet columns decorated with religious figures, a late Gothic rood screen and several altars with medieval works of art. Special attention is paid to the Romanesque baptismal font, whose history goes back even before the cathedral was built: to 1195. The cathedral is equipped with 13 bells, the largest of which are the main peal - including the Dunna, Osanna and Laurentius bells.

The Halberstadt Cathedral Treasure

So when you visit Halberstadt's historic cathedral, you get to see some architectural marvels from the Middle Ages. The unique collection of Halberstadt Cathedral treasures should also be highlighted. The museum collection dates back to the 9th century and today encompasses an extraordinary cultural heritage from the Middle Ages. Around 300 works are exhibited on approximately 1,200 square metres. These include historical relics, paintings and vestments as well as treasures from the 14th century treasury. Artistic aspects are presented by the historical altarpieces and sculptures from the period between the 13th and 16th centuries. In addition, there is Byzantine textile and goldsmith's art as well as tapestries from the 12th century. It is therefore not only the cathedral itself that is worth seeing for visitors, but also the preserved cultural objects that can be examined in the museum collection of the cathedral treasury.