Bamberg - Cathedral

Since 1007, when Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich II (Henry II) made Bamberg the seat of a diocese, the Bamberg Cathedral ("Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg") is the seat of the Archbishop of Bamberg.

The first cathedral on this place, founded in 1004 by Heinrich II and named "Heinrichsdom", got consecrated already in 1012. This building got destroyed by fire in 1085. Around 1215 the construction of the building seen here started. It was commisioned by Bishop Eckbert von Andechs-Meranien, brother of Hedwig von Andechs (aka Hedwig of Silesia). The new cathedral was consecrated in 1237.

Of course, the cathedral got "remodeled" over the centuries a couple of times. The two eastern towers (left) are 76 meters high. They are Romanesque. The two western towers are erected in early Gothic style. They are pretty exact copies of the towers of Notre-Dame de Laon, erected around 1190. These towers are not the only "traces" of carvers, "architects" and builders from Northern France, that can be found here.

The length of the cathedral is 99 meters.

Seen to the right is a part of the "Alte Hofhaltung", that was the episcopal palace in medieval time. It was exactly here, where Barbarossa´s youngest son, German King Philipp von Schwaben ("Philip of Swabia") was stabbed by Otto VIII of Wittelsbach on June 21. 1208. As even Bishop Eckbert von Andechs-Meranien became suspect in this assasination, he had to flee Bamberg - and the construction of the cathedral stopped for a couple of years.