Würzburg Cathedral

Würzburg Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Würzburg Cathedral, the Cathedral of Saint Kilian, stands at the eastern end of the Domstrasse in the centre of Würzburg, a city on the Main river in the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, and entry is free. It is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Germany, and it holds the tombs of the prince-bishops who ruled Würzburg for centuries. The cathedral is on every walking tour of Würzburg, together with the Würzburg Residence, a baroque palace and UNESCO World Heritage Site with a staircase ceiling fresco by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, the Neumünster church, the Old Main Bridge with its statues of saints, where locals drink Franconian wine on summer evenings, and the Marienberg Fortress on the hill above the river.

Würzburg is about an hour from Frankfurt and Nuremberg by train, and the Romantic Road begins here. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services. The cathedral museum, beside the church, displays modern and medieval religious art and requires a ticket. Guided tours of the cathedral are offered on certain days. The cathedral square hosts markets and events throughout the year.

Visiting Würzburg Cathedral: what to see

A church was built here in the eighth century, after the Irish missionary Saint Kilian and his companions were martyred in Würzburg around 689, and the present cathedral was begun in 1040 in the Romanesque style, with four towers. It was altered many times, with Gothic vaults and a baroque interior of rich stucco added in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In March 1945 an air raid destroyed most of Würzburg, and the cathedral burned; in 1946 part of the nave collapsed. It was rebuilt in the following decades, restoring the Romanesque character of the nave while keeping some baroque stucco in the transept and choir and adding modern furnishings.

Along the pillars of the nave stand the tombstones of the prince-bishops, including two masterpieces carved by Tilman Riemenschneider, for Rudolf von Scherenberg and Lorenz von Bibra, which show the bishops in lifelike detail. The Schönborn Chapel, built in the eighteenth century by Balthasar Neumann, the architect of the Residence, holds the tombs of the Schönborn prince-bishops, with rich decoration and marble. The crypt holds tombs of bishops. The west facade has a simple, modern appearance, and the organ is one of the largest in the region. The nave's modern chandeliers and the bronze doors reflect the post-war rebuilding, and the crossing holds a contemporary altar.

Würzburg Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with visits restricted during services. Würzburg is pleasant from spring to autumn, with wine festivals in the city and surrounding villages. The Kiliani Festival in July celebrates the patron saint with a week of pilgrimage services, processions and a funfair. The Mozart Festival, held in the Residence in June, is one of the oldest in Germany. The Christmas market fills the market square. Winters are cold. Allow about half an hour for the cathedral, and continue to the Neumünster and the Residence. Organ recitals are held at midday on certain days in summer.