Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Schlosskirche was part of the Hofen Monastery, built between 1695 and 1702. In 1803, the imperial Weingarten Monastery, to which the Hofen Monastery belonged, was secularised. The monastery complex with the church was assigned to the Württemberg court estate, which made the church building available to the newly founded Protestant parish of Friedrichshafen in 1812. On 28th April 1944, during a bombing raid during the Second World War, the church was severely damaged. During the reconstruction of the church from 1949 to 1954, the missing stucco was added by Josef Schnitzer in a simpler form based on old photos.

Schwerin Cathedral was founded as a Romanesque building during the reign of Henry the Lion (12th century), at the same time as the cathedrals of Lübeck, Ratzeburg and Braunschweig. A new cathedral was built in the Gothic style from 1270. The building was rebuilt in the Gothic Revival style after being damaged by fire in the 19th century.

The Second Temple in Hamburg is an Ashkenazi synagogue built in 1842-44 by architects Klees-Wülbern and Johann Heinrich. In use until 1931, this brick synagogue is now abandoned.

The half-timbered church in the centre of Seelbach was built in 1771. It is nicknamed Kaffeemühlenkirche (coffee mill church) because of its square shape.

Shankararar Sri Kamadchi Ampal is the second largest temple in Europe in the Dravidian style, an architectural style originating in South India.

The Siegerland motorway church, located on the B45, was inaugurated on 26 May 2013. The building, a multi-award-winning design by Frankfurt architects Schneider + Schumacher, is an example of post-modern religious architecture. The design of the church exterior is based on geometric triangular shapes. In the entrance area of the church, there is a typographic installation by Peter Zizka.

The Silberg chapel is one of many half-timbered churches in the region. Built in 1712 with a hexagonal turret, it was an active parish church until 1908.

The Sophienkirche is a Protestant church built according to the concept and plans of master builder Philipp Gerlach. The church was built in 1712-13 and was originally consecrated as the 'Spandau church'. It was only under the successor of King Friedrich II (1740-1786) that it was named after Sophie Luise and has since been called Sophienkirche. The baroque church tower was added in 1732-1734 by the master-builder Johann Friedrich Grael. On 13 September 1964, the American civil rights activist Martin Luther King preached in the Sophienkirche during a surprise visit to East Berlin.

Speyer Cathedral was founded around 1030, under Conrad II (1027-1039). The crypt was consecrated in 1041, and the cathedral in 1061. From 1082 to 1106, it was transformed by Henry IV (1084-1105). The cathedral of Speyer suffered many fires, notably in 1137 and 1159. In 1689, it was seriously damaged by the troops of Louis XIV during the sacking of the Palatinate and burnt down on 31 May 1689. It was rebuilt between 1758 and 1777. After the French Revolution, which damaged the building, the cathedral was repaired again between 1818 and 1821. The interior was painted in the middle of the 19th century but the paintings were removed for some of them during a complete restoration of the cathedral from 1957 to 1961. The cathedral is the largest preserved Romanesque church in the world, an example of Rhineland Romanesque construction that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1981.

The hospital church (Spitalkirche), probably founded in the 12th century, was first mentioned in the 14th century as a hospital church. The building owes its current appearance to a reconstruction in the 18th century.