Germany Guide
Central Bavaria
The Dom
Address: Northern Altstadt
The peaceful northern Altstadt – separated from the rest of the Altstadt by east-west thoroughfare Leonhardsberg – is dominated by the Dom. Architecturally, Augsburg's cathedral is an utter hotchpotch: entirely lacking the sublime clarity of St Ulrich und Afra's design, it's more of a picturesque jumble than a coherent building. The spires date from 1150, but much of the rest of the building was rebuilt in Gothic style in the fourteenth century, and it's from this time that the north and south portals – built by sculptors of the Parler school – date. On the south side of the nave, the five Prophetenfenster depicting Moses, David, Hosea, Daniel and Jonas date from 1065 and are the oldest figurative stained glass windows in existence. Older still is the bishop's throne or Cathedra, which dates from around 1000 AD.
On the north side of the cathedral at Kornhausgasse 3–5, the Diözesanmuseum St Afra (Tues– Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–6pm; €4) contains the cathedral's art treasures. Pride of place goes to the magnificent eleventh-century bronze cathedral doors, which consist of 35 bronze plates illustrating scenes from the Old Testament and allegories of good and evil. There's also some splendid Augsburg silver on display.