Regensburg Cathedral, Regensburg (must see)

Regensburg Cathedral, or St. Peter’s Cathedral, dominates the city skyline with its two majestic spires—twin sentinels of faith that have watched over the Danube for centuries. Its story, however, begins not with grandeur but with loss. When a devastating fire consumed the city’s old Romanesque church in 1273, the people of Regensburg decided to build something that would rise from the ashes—a cathedral worthy of their devotion and resilience. Over the next six centuries, generations of stonemasons, artists, and craftsmen worked to complete it, their legacy culminating in the 19th century when King Ludwig I finally oversaw the finishing of its spires.

According to local legend, the builders struck a deal with the devil himself: he would help the cathedral rise faster than any other in Europe, but only on the condition that no windows would be added until it was complete. When construction finished, the builders tricked him—creating vast stained-glass windows that filled the cathedral with heavenly light. In fury, the devil is said to have slammed his foot into the stones, leaving a mark that locals still claim to see near the entrance.

Inside, the play of colored light through the 13th- and 14th-century stained glass fills the vast nave with a sense of timeless wonder. The air hums faintly with the echoes of the Cathedral Sparrows—a boys’ choir that has sung here for more than a thousand years, carrying on one of the oldest choral traditions in the world. Their music transforms the Gothic interior into something alive, linking today’s visitors to the faithful who once prayed beneath the same vaulted ceiling.

Beyond its architecture and treasures, Regensburg Cathedral is a living monument—a place where myth, history, and melody converge. To step inside is to feel centuries of craftsmanship, devotion, and legend intertwine in the stillness of its stone.