Kirche St. Ursula

Kirche St. Ursula stands at the end of Friedrichstraße in Munich’s Schwabing district, creating a striking view along the street. Its freestanding campanile rises 64 metres above the surrounding buildings. August Thiersch designed this north-facing, three-nave basilica, which turns away from medieval forms. Unlike traditional church orientations, its axis points north rather than east. Construction began in 1894, and consecration followed on 10 October 1897.

The building bridges historicism and Jugendstil through a Romanesque layout and Florentine Renaissance decoration. Balthasar Schmitt created the majolica reliefs, drawing inspiration from the della Robbia family. Inside, the basilica extends 60 metres beneath a 42-metre crossing dome. An 11.20-metre drum supports the dome and carries a natural-stone lantern with eight windows.

The Venetian spire gives the tower its distinctive profile above Schwabing’s Friedrichstraße. Carved and clothed nativity figures accompany a Christmas crib by Sebastian Osterrieder. Music comes from organs built by Georg Friedrich Steinmeyer in 1952 and Winfried Albiez in 1984.