The Frauenkirche or the “Cathedral of Our Dear Lady” is a church in the Bavarian city of Munich. It is the seat of its Archbishop and serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. This plainly designed church is made from red bricks in the late Gothic style. The church towers are widely visible because of local height limits. The two towers of the church are almost of same hieght- the north tower is 98.57 metres (323.4 ft) while the south tower is only 98.45 metres (323.0 ft), 12 centimetres (4.7 in) less. The south tower is open to those wishing to climb the stairs and offers a unique view of Munich and the nearby Alps.
The spatial effect of the church is connected with a legend about a footprint in a square tile at the entrance to the nave, the so-called “devil’s footstep”. This legendary Teufelstritt, or devil’s footstep, actually emerges from the fact that the large amount of light inside the Frauenkirche seems to come from nowhere because of the large columns that block the view of the windows. Right to the entrance is a monumental tomb of Emperor Ludwig IV of Bavaria, the work of Hans Krumpper.
The cathedral can hold approximately 20,000 people, and Catholic Mass is held regularly. The interior of the cathedral, which is among the largest hall churches in southern Germany, consists of the nave and two side aisles of equal height (31 metres (102 ft)). The arches were designed by Heinrich von Straubing.
A rich collection of 14th to 18th century artwork of notable artists like Erasmus Grasser, Jan Polack, Hans Krumpper and Ignaz Günther decorates the interior of the cathedral again since the last restoration. The Gothic nave, several of the Gothic stained-glass windows, some of them made for the previous church, and the tomb monument of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor are major attractions.
