Frauenkirche

candid Germany tips

 

Why the
Frauenkirche
is special

The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) has a Footprint of the Devil legend that captures the imagination of visitors.

Frauenkirche
tips & insights

If you stand
over the footprint ...

You cannot see the many large side windows from that spot because the columns obscure them (see photo).

One version of
the Footprint of
the Devil legend

The Frauenkirche architect bet the devil that he could build a windowless church. When construction was completed, he positioned the devil inside the edifice near the entrance. The devil could not see the the windows from that spot, so he accepted his defeat. But he soon realized he was duped. In anger, he heavily stomped on the floor, leaving a deep impression of his foot.

What really
happened

A clever priest created a footprint impression and embedded it into the floor as a promotional tool to draw more people into the church.

The Frauenkirche
is much more than
its famous footprint

To locals, the Frauenkirche is their main house of worship and its twin onion-domed towers (see photo) are the icon of Munich. However, in the minds of tourists, the Hofbrauhaus wins that honor.

Towers

They are as high as a modern 33-story building. You can climb one of them for a grand view of Munich.

  

sponsored ad 

Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides
Click links for tips & insights

©2010 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications