page_title: Munich Frauenkirche
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Munich Frauenkirche / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Frauenkirche in Munich, Germay Deutsch: Frauenkirche in München
context_page_description: The Frauenkirche is a church in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city. Although called "Münchner Dom" on its website and URL, the church is referred to as "Frauenkirche" by locals.
  Because of local height limits, the church towers are widely visible. According to the narrow outcome of a local plebiscite, city administration prohibits buildings with a height exceeding 99 m in the city center. Since November 2004, this prohibition has been provisionally extended outward, and as a result, no buildings may be built in the city over the aforementioned height. The south tower, which is normally open to those wishing to climb the stairs, will offer a unique view of Munich and the nearby Alps after its current renovation is completed.
context_section_description: A Romanesque church was added adjacent to the town's first ring of walls in the 12th century, replacing a former late romanesque building.  This new church served as a second city parish following the older, Alter Peter church. The late Gothic building visible today, commission of Duke Sigismund and the people of Munich, was erected in the 15th century.
  
  The cathedral was erected in only 20 years' time by Jörg von Halsbach. Because there was not a nearby stone pit and for other financial reasons, brick was chosen as building material. Construction began in 1468, and when the cash resources were exhausted in 1479, Pope Sixtus IV granted an indulgence.
  The two towers, which are both just over 98 meters (323 feet), were completed in 1488, and the church was consecrated in 1494.  There were plans for tall, open-work spires typical of the Gothic style, but given the financial difficulties of the time, the plans could not be realized.  The towers remained unfinished until 1525.
  German historian, Hartmann Schedel, printed a view of Munich including the unfinished towers in his famous Nuremberg Chronicle, also known as Schedel's World Chronicle. Finally, because rainwater was regularly penetrating the temporary roofing in the tower's ceilings, the towers were completed in 1525, albeit using a more budget-friendly design.  This new design was modelled after the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which itself was modeled from late Byzantine architecture and erroneously considered to be Solomon's original temple.  The resulting domes atop each tower contributed to making the church a distinctive Münichian landmark.
  The building has a volume of about 200,000 m³, and originally had the capacity to house 20,000 standing people. Later, church benches for ordinary people were introduced. Considering late fifteenth-century Munich had only 13,000 inhabitants and an already  established parish church in Alter Peter, it is quite remarkable that a second church of this magnitude was erected in the city.
  The cathedral suffered severe damage during the later stages of World War II.  After Allied forces' aerial raids, the church roof collapsed, one of the towers suffered severe damage, and the majority of the church's irreplaceable historical artifacts held inside were lost-either destroyed by bomb raids themselves, or removed with the debris during the aftermath.  A multi-stage restoration effort began soon after the war.  The final stage of restoration was completed in 1994.
caption: Frauenkirche in the evening
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