The Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Stephen – this is the official name of the world-famous Speyer Cathedral. The impressive building is considered a milestone in Romanesque architecture and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981 as the largest Romanesque church in the world. So it’s no wonder that the sacred building that dominates the city centre attracts numerous visitors every year. Speyer Cathedral was built in the 11th century by order of Henry IV as the largest church in the West. With its symmetrical floor plan, the first completely vaulted church building in Europe later served as a model for the development of Romanesque architecture in the 11th and 12th centuries.
