Dominkanerkirche St. Blasius

Dominikanerkirche St. Blasius rises as a Gothic basilica, with vast stone walls and simple lines in a soaring interior. Begun in 1229, it stretches more than seventy metres and lifts its central nave beyond twenty-three metres, twice the height prescribed for Dominican churches.

That ambition created centuries of structural strain, as the walls gradually moved apart under their own weight. Steel cables and supports stabilised the building after years of closure, while ribbed vaults, a clear view from the entrance to the high altar, and fifteenth-century choir stalls preserve its medieval character. Albertus Magnus taught here and established a library, making the Dominican friary a centre of learning.

A bell turret replaces the great tower often associated with churches, and a carved figure of Brother Diemar kneels with a builder’s square and compass. Fifteenth-century frescoes and an altar reliquary connected with Albertus Magnus add further traces of the centuries held within these walls.