{"id":21979,"date":"2023-02-14T09:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T08:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=21979"},"modified":"2023-02-08T14:04:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T13:04:49","slug":"meissen-cathedral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/germany\/saxony\/meissen\/meissen-cathedral\/","title":{"rendered":"A visit to Meissen Cathedral and a climb up the tower"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Meissen Cathedral bears the name of St. Johannis and St. Donatus. Together with Albrechtsburg Castle, it rises high above the city and is Meissen’s landmark, visible from afar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"Blick<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can reach the cathedral in several ways: for example, you can take the panoramic lift or the bus up the mountain. The footpath is a little more strenuous, with numerous stairs and steeper roads. But honestly, the way up is really beautiful and worth the walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we reached the top, we stood in front of the church building, impressed. A side entrance leads to the Meissen Cathedral, which can be visited for a fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cathedral building in Meissen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Around 968, Emperor Otto I founded the bishopric of Meissen and initially had a small chapel built. It was not long before a four-tower basilica was erected as an episcopal cathedral church in 1073. This stood exactly on the site where Meissen Cathedral stands today. In its time, this church building must have been quite imposing. However, over time, more modern and even larger churches were built in other cities, which made the church look small and outdated. So a new building was planned, which was initially to be erected directly next to the old building and later replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Modell<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The construction of the new cathedral began in 1260. The individual sections were built piece by piece. First, a single-nave choir and the transept were completed, followed by the All Saints’ Chapel on the east side of the cloister, the octagonal St. John’s Chapel and the chapter house. Around 1410, the nave was finally completed as a seven-bay hall church. This was followed by the construction of the towers, which came to an end in 1909.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

From 1990 onwards, Meissen Cathedral underwent extensive restoration work over many years. Today, a visit is a feast for the eyes, with small and larger discoveries in store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guided tour up the tower of the cathedral<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have the opportunity, you should not miss the guided tour up the tower of Meissen Cathedral. Here you can expect not only a great view over the city, but also interesting stories about the cathedral and its towers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"H\u00f6ckrige<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For example, we learn that the “H\u00f6ckrige Turm” in the south-east corner between the transept and the choir was the only tower of the cathedral for many years. The name of this tower is derived from the unusual bend of the spire. The tower has an open design, the spire consists of individual ribs that form the openwork side surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When planning the cathedral, the master builder had already built the basements of the west towers. However, they were not completed. It was not until 1470-1477 that a third storey was added to the towers; the spires were destroyed by a lightning strike in 1547. And so the towers remained unfinished for many years. It was not until 1903 to 1909 that the cathedral’s characteristic towers were built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Turmspitze<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, the 87-metre spires tower high above the city. Each spire consists of a stone crown and a weather vane. On the north tower is a weather vane with the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Saxony and on the south tower is the coat of arms of the High Chapter of Meissen. The spires are made of sandstone. It is striking that they have been designed differently. One helmet is characterised by edge flowers, the other helmet by turned pinnacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n