Frankfurt Cathedral

The Frankfurt Cathedral, or Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus, rises above the city with a distinctive west tower built of red sandstone that reaches ninety-five meters into the sky. Despite its title, it has never been the seat of a bishop, yet it earned its prestige as the official site for the election and coronation of Holy Roman Emperors. Beginning in thirteen fifty-six, the Golden Bull mandated that elections of the Kings of the Romans take place here, and by fifteen sixty-two, the site became the traditional setting for imperial coronations.