Halberstadt Cathedral and Cathedral Treasury

Few churches in Germany follow the model of the great French cathedrals as consistently as the Cathedral of St. Stephen and St. Sixtus in Halberstadt. It took almost 250 years to build, and because the chapter gave very little away, an enormous medieval collection survives in its rooms to this day: altarpieces, reliquaries, vestments, furniture and manuscripts. Together, the cathedral and its treasury are regarded as the largest medieval ensemble still in its place of use outside the Vatican.

History: competing with Magdeburg

Halberstadt became a bishop's seat in the 9th century. A Carolingian cathedral was consecrated in 859 but collapsed in 965; its Ottonian successor was consecrated in 992. When Magdeburg began building a modern Gothic cathedral in 1209, Halberstadt followed suit. Unusually, work started with the west front so the old cathedral could be used as long as possible. The nave followed from around 1260, with a central vessel 27 metres high and open flying buttresses modelled on Reims; the choir was consecrated in 1401 and the entire cathedral in 1491. After the Reformation in 1591, Catholic and Protestant canons prayed here together until 1810. On 8 April 1945 twelve bombs hit the cathedral, but the stained glass and artworks had been moved to safety. Since 2010 the ridge turret above the crossing has been back in place.

What to see

• Rood screen and triumphal cross: The Late Gothic rood screen of 1510 separates the high choir. Above it stands the wooden triumphal cross group from around 1220, older than the present cathedral, about 5 metres high and with its original paintwork.
• Font: The Romanesque chalice of Rübeland marble rests on four lions and was donated by Bishop Gardolf at the end of the 12th century.
• Stained glass: In the Lady Chapel, the oldest panels date from around 1340.
• Cathedral treasury: On the upper floor of the monastic buildings you will find, among other things, the Abraham and Angels tapestry and the Christ and Apostles tapestry from the 12th century, regarded as the oldest known woven pictorial tapestries in Europe, along with an ivory diptych from Ravenna dated 417 and a Venetian rock-crystal cross.
• West portal and cloister: The Early Gothic double portal shows a Last Judgement reduced to a lion and a bust of Christ; the four-winged cloister adjoins to the south.

Good to know

The three oldest buttresses on the north side were built so slender that parts of the nave threatened to collapse. From the 1960s to the 1980s whole sections of the piers were replaced while steel frames propped up the vaults and nave. Until 1945 the old town around the cathedral, with more than a thousand timber-framed houses, was one of the most important historic townscapes in Germany.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

• April to October: Treasury Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–17:00. Cathedral Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–17:00, Sundays and public holidays 11:00–17:00.
• November to March: until 16:00 in each case. Closed on 24 and 31 December.
• Admission: €9, reduced €7, free for children and young people under 18. Tickets are available online and on site.
• Organ: Organ devotion on Fridays at 12:00, organ music on Saturdays at 12:00.

The cathedral and cloister are step-free; in the treasury, short flights of stairs lead to the vestment rooms and the treasure chamber.

Getting there

The cathedral stands on Domplatz at the edge of Halberstadt's old town. The entrance is the step-free north portal, next to the new visitor centre with shop and café.

Tripto tip

Allow two hours for the cathedral and treasury; a guided tour of both takes about 90 minutes. Come around midday on a Friday or Saturday to hear the organ during your visit. In the treasury, take time in front of the tapestries: they are around 850 years old and survived the destruction of the town in 1945. Afterwards, take a look at the cloister before heading back across Domplatz into the old town.