Germany Guide
Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland
The Dom
Opening time: Mon– Fri 9am–6.30pm, Sat 9am–4pm, Sun 12.45–3pm & 4–5pm
Telephone: 06131/25 33 44
Website: www.dommuseum-mainz.de
Mainz's majestic six-towered Romanesque Dom isn't the first cathedral on the site, but a twelfth-century replacement for one that burnt down in 1066, one day before its consecration. Outside, one notable feature is the unusual way in which many of its red sandstone walls adjoin surrounding houses – which tends to make the church look bigger. Inside, the church is rather spartan and gloomy and, though some of the tombstones of archbishops and various other notables are interesting enough, most of the real treasures are tucked away in the Dommuseum (Tues– Fri 10am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–6pm; €3, €5 with the Gewölbehallen), accessed from adjoining cloisters. Its treasures include sparkling reliquaries and some intricate fifteenth- and sixteenth-century tapestries, but most of the cathedral's artwork is stored in the adjacent Gewölbehallen (€2.50, €5 for both). The highlights here are a thirteenth-century rood screen from the Master of Naumburg, which vividly depicts sin and salvation, an early fourteenth-century pewter baptismal font and some Rococo choir stalls from an impressive collection of more church furnishings.