Speyer Cathedral

Romanesque cathedral founded by Conrad II (c.990–1039) in 1060 at Speyer, SW Germany. The church, which is noted for its royal tombs and crypt, has required reconstruction on several occasions, most recently after World War 2. It is a world heritage site.

The Speyer Cathedral in Speyer, Germany is a very large and imposing basilica of red sandstone, and one of the noblest examples of Romanesque architecture now extant. Alongside the nearby Romanesque cathedrals of Mainz and Worms, it is one of the so-called Kaiserdome (Imperial cathedrals) of the Rhineland.

Built in 1030-1061 by Conrad II and his successor, this church has had a checkered history, its disasters culminating in 1689, when the soldiers of Louis XIV burned it to the bare walls and scattered the ashes of the eight German emperors who had been interred in the kings choir.

The large cathedral bowl (Domnapf) in front of the west facade formerly marked the boundary between the episcopal and municipal territories.

In 1981, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally important sites.