Kaiserdom (Imperial Cathedral)
The famous dome-topped west tower of the Kaiserdom (also known as Bartholomäus-Dom/Cathedral of St. Bartholomew) dominates the Altstadt. The highly ornamented tower dates from the 15th century and is built of red sandstone. Construction on the cathedral began in the 13th century and went on to the 15th, but the structure wasn’t entirely completed until 1877. The church gained cathedral status in the 14th century when it became the site of the election of the emperors (called Kaisers in Germany) of the Holy Roman Empire. Later, between 1562 and 1792, the Kaisers also were crowned here, so the church became known as the Kaiserdom. Previous coronations had taken place in Aachen Cathedral. Destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944, the cathedral was painstakingly rebuilt in 1953. The layout is a fairly simple Gothic hall-church with three naves and a transept. The Dom Museum in the church’s 19th-century cloister, exhibits coronation robes of the imperial electors. The oldest vestments date from the 1400s.
The famous dome-topped west tower of the Kaiserdom (also known as Bartholomäus-Dom/Cathedral of St. Bartholomew) dominates the Altstadt. The highly ornamented tower dates from the 15th century and is built of red sandstone. Construction on the cathedral began in the 13th century and went on to the 15th, but the structure wasn’t entirely completed until 1877. The church gained cathedral status in the 14th century when it became the site of the election of the emperors (called Kaisers in Germany) of the Holy Roman Empire. Later, between 1562 and 1792, the Kaisers also were crowned here, so the church became known as the Kaiserdom. Previous coronations had taken place in Aachen Cathedral. Destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944, the cathedral was painstakingly rebuilt in 1953. The layout is a fairly simple Gothic hall-church with three naves and a transept. The Dom Museum in the church’s 19th-century cloister, exhibits coronation robes of the imperial electors. The oldest vestments date from the 1400s.
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