Speyer Cathedral (Kaiserdom)

Speyer Cathedral is the largest Romanesque church still standing anywhere, begun in 1030 under the Salian Emperor Conrad II as a burial site grand enough to match the dynasty's imperial ambitions. The exterior's massive twin towers and dwarf gallery arcading set the tone for what follows inside: a vast, unbroken nave that draws the eye straight to the raised choir, with little of the later Baroque decoration that clutters many German cathedrals of comparable age. Beneath the choir, the imperial crypt (Kaisergruft) holds the tombs of four Holy Roman Emperors and four German kings, along with several queens and bishops, reachable by a stairway near the transept and one of the few parts of the visit that charges an admission fee. Visitors can also climb the cathedral's tower for panoramic views over Speyer and the Rhine plain, again for a small separate charge. As Germany's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1981, the cathedral draws visitors specifically for its architectural significance rather than any single relic or artwork. A visit to the nave alone takes about 30 minutes, extending to 45 minutes or an hour with the crypt and tower. Weekday mornings avoid both the organ recitals that sometimes fill the nave with visitors and the services that periodically close sections to sightseeing. The cathedral square (Domplatz) in front offers the classic photo angle of the twin west towers, while the crypt's rows of squat columns give a strikingly different, more intimate perspective from below.