Halberstadt - Liebfrauenkirche

Through Charlemagne, the mission base here became a bishop's see in 804. The Bishop was granted market, minting and customs rights by King Otto III in 989. He held the secular power in the Harzgau and thus over the inhabitants of Halberstadt. The first cathedral was consecrated in 992.

By 1068, there was already an emerging merchant class, under which the city began to emancipate itself from control by the bishop's see around about 1105. In 1146, possibly the first Jews arrived in Halberstadt coming from Halle. In 1189 Jews persecuted during the Third Crusade reached the city. In 1261, the first episcopal letter of protection is documented for them.

Henry the Lion destroyed the city, cathedral and cathedral castle in 1179 in the course of a feud by setting a major fire. In 1199 the construction of the city wall is mentioned for the first time, which lasted until 1236. Between 1236 and 1239, the construction of the new cathedral began. In 1241, a town hall for the city is mentioned for the first time; moreover, the city already had its own seal at this time. In 1343 the Jews were attacked by the Counts of Mansfeld and Regenstein and fled, a decade later the new so-called "Judendorf" became the first closed Jewish settlement in the city.

The Liebfrauenkirche is one of the three main churches in Halberstadt, along with the cathedral and the Martinikirche. It is located west of the cathedral. It is one of the few surviving four-tower basilicas from the Romanesque period. In 1005, Bishop Arnulf founded a collegiate monastery, which became of national importance by the end of the 15th century. According to recent research, the oldest preserved parts of the church, the basements of the west facade, date from after 1089. The three-aisled pillar basilica was (re)built almost throughout the 12th century. The baptistery was added around 1170. The portal of the church and the western towers with rhombic roofs date from the 13th century.

In 1661 the church was redesigned in the Baroque style, the medieval paintings were whitewashed in accordance with the Protestant simplicity. Also in the 17th century, the stone rood screen from 1230 was removed and replaced by a cast iron one. During the Seven Years' War and the period of occupation under Napoleon, the Church briefly served as a prison, ammunition production site and weapons store.