Dominating the Munich skyline and an international symbol of the city is Frauenkirche, or to give its full name, Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau, "Cathedral of Our Dear Lady"in the centre of the city, just off Marienplatz. Munich is striking by the lack of high-level buildings, the result of planning restructions, leaving the two towers of Frauenkirche the most noticeable sight on the Munich skyline, and the views from the top are quite breathtaking - with the Alps in the distance. See Munich from the top of Frauenkirche with this drone flight.
The church's history dates back to the 15th century, when it took just 20 years to build. It has a capacity of 20,000, which is all the more strange when one considers that the population of the city was just 13,000 at the time. It was erected by Jörg von Halsbach, with work starting in 1468, and the two towers (the north tower is 12cm taller at 98.57m) were completed in 1488, with the cathedral being consecrated in 1494. Brick was used over stone partly for financial reasons, and partly due to the lack of availabilty of a nearby quarry. Take a tour inside Frauenkirche.
Frauenkirche suffered badly from bombing in World War II, but the church has been restored to its former glory. One popular tourist attraction at the church which survived was the so-called Devil's Footstep, or Teufelstritt, at the entrance to the building. Legend has it that the Devil stood at the entrance to the church mocking what he thought was a windowless construction.
Another version claims that the Devil made a deal with the builder to construct the church without windows. The building proceeded, but tricked the Devil by adding windows which could not be seen from the Devil's standing point. With the church already consecrated, the Devil could do nothing but stamp his foot furiously into the ground, hence the footprint today. The Devil then rushed outside and manigested its evil spirit in the wind which rages aroun the church. In yet one more version of the legend, the Devil forgot the wind in hi fury, and it will continue to blow until the day when he comes to collect it. True or not, Frauenkirche is an important symbol of Munich, and well worth a visit. See the Devil's footstep in the video below.
