Augsburg Cathedral

High up in the south wall of the nave are five stained-glass windows older than almost anything you will see in other churches: the Prophet Windows of Augsburg Cathedral date from the late 11th or early 12th century and are relics of the oldest known figurative stained-glass cycle in the world. The cathedral combines an Ottonian core with a mighty Gothic choir. It stands just north of the busy centre and is one of Augsburg's most visited sights.

History: a thousand years as a bishop's church

In late Roman times houses of the provincial capital Augusta Vindelicum stood here. Bishop Simpert built a Carolingian church, and the oldest document naming the cathedral dates from 822. After the west end collapsed in 994, Bishop Liutold began a new building whose nave was probably standing by 1006 and still forms the core, making this Germany's only surviving Ottonian cathedral. Gothic rebuilding began in 1331; the east choir, modelled on Cologne, was consecrated in 1431.

Protestant iconoclasts wrecked the interior in 1537–1548. On 26 January 1690 Archduke Joseph was crowned King of the Romans here, followed by a banquet in the Golden Hall of the town hall.

What to see

• Prophet Windows: Five windows high in the south wall of the nave showing large figures of prophets. Bring binoculars.
• Holbein panels: Paintings by Hans Holbein the Elder from 1493 on the four eastern pillars.
• Ecce Homo: A life-size suffering Christ by Georg Petel (1630/31).
• South portal: The Marian portal of around 1356, the richest in figures of its century.
• Crypts and cloister: A double crypt under the west choir and a cloister with 401 epitaphs and tomb slabs from about 1350 to 1800.

Good to know

In the ambulatory stands one of Germany's oldest nativity scenes, made around 1580. Next to it a plaque honours canon Christoph von Schmid, who wrote the carol "Ihr Kinderlein, kommet". The Romanesque bronze door of the earlier cathedral is in the neighbouring Diocesan Museum. The towers are 62 metres high.

Visiting (as of October 2026)

The parish does not publish fixed visiting hours online; outside services the cathedral can usually be visited during the day; current service times are published by the cathedral parish on the Diocese of Augsburg website. There is an induction loop in the right-hand nave.

Getting there

Hoher Weg 30, about five to ten minutes' walk north of Rathausplatz and around 20 minutes from the main station.

Tripto tip

Allow 45 to 60 minutes, more with the cloister and museum. In Advent the old nativity scene pairs perfectly with the Christmas market on Rathausplatz, a few minutes away.